


What Dreams May Come

by floralnori



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dreams, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 14:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12191811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floralnori/pseuds/floralnori
Summary: Chanyeol has been having nightmares.  His roommate Kyungsoo notices and buys a magical dreamcatcher.  Now every time Chanyeol has a nightmare, Kyungsoo is transported into Chanyeol’s dream to help him fight his fears.





	What Dreams May Come

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt #38**  
>  **Summary:** Chanyeol has been having nightmares. His roommate Kyungsoo notices and buys a magical dreamcatcher. Now every time Chanyeol has a nightmare, Kyungsoo is transported into Chanyeol’s dream to help him fight his fears.  
>  **Warnings:** Swearing, Dream Violence and Blood, Internalized Homophobia  
>  **Notes:** First a big thank you to the prompter! This was such a fun prompt to write. I hope I did justice to it, and you enjoyed this story. Thank you also to the TakoStation mods for putting this fest together! Finally, thank you to everyone who read and gave feedback as I wrote this story especially Amlika! And to the Triplets, well, you know.

Kyungsoo trailed behind his friends as they worked their way through a crowded, neighborhood street fair. He squinted a bit against the bright sunlight as his eyes wandered from the face of one stranger to another. From the way they were so focused on examining each piece of jewelry, he wondered if those girls were picking out rings for themselves or each other? Did that child pulling at her mother’s arm need to go to the bathroom, or was she impatient to eat the hotteok her mom had promised her if she behaved? The way that woman looked at the much younger man walking beside her, was that infatuation or had they been in love for years? He’d turned to follow the couple when a hand on his arm pulled him back to the table filled with toys and second-hand manhwas his friends had gathered around.

“Check this out,” Baekhyun said. Letting go of Kyungsoo’s arm, he picked up a Santa Claus Pez dispenser. He thrust the toy in Kyungsoo’s face and used his index finger to bobble the head up and down. Smirking, he said, “Have you been a good boy this year? Tell Santa what you want for Christmas.”

Kyungsoo looked over Baekhyun’s shoulder. At the other end of the table, Chanyeol had squeezed between Jongin and Sehun and wore a Chanyeol Smile No. 5, The Mood Maker. The maknaes had been bickering all afternoon, and he’d spent just as long trying to get them to laugh and get over themselves. To the untrained observer, Chanyeol might appear happy. His laugh was infectious, and he joked continuously. But it had been another bad night, and Kyungsoo saw the lines under his eyes and felt the hesitation each time he forced out a laugh.

Baekhyun tapped the plastic Santa against Kyungsoo’s glasses. “Ignoring Santa makes you a very bad boy.” 

Kyungsoo jerked his head back. “What the hell?” He knocked Baekhyun’s hand away from his face and stepped back.

Jongdae blocked his escape and wrapped his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder. He stole the Santa from Baekhyun and pointed the toy at the group on the other side of the table. “We all know what Kyungsoo wants for Christmas.”

Kyungsoo plucked the Santa out of Jongdae’s hand. He brushed past a laughing Baekhyun and put it back on the table next to the Hello Kitty and Batman Pez dispensers. “It’s May,” he said. “Ask me later.” He flicked first Jongdae and then Baekhyun on the forehead and stepped back into the crowd to get as far away from those jokers as he could.

He kept his head down and let the crowd push him along until he found himself on the far edge of the street fair. The line of stalls and vendor tables had thinned out until only one tent stood next to the wooden saw horses closing off the street. The canvas tent was painted bright red and had a gold flap for a door. Kyungsoo knew exactly what he would find inside. He’d spent much of his childhood dragged into similar tents, storefronts, and private homes. 

Driven by her relentless need to protect her loved ones, his grandma had spent almost all her savings searching for help and answers from shamans, fortune tellers, and astrologers. What was a lucky day for Kyungsoo’s father to ask for a raise? When will Aunt Eunha finally get married? Talismans helped Kyungsoo earn high grades on exams and maintain his place in class rankings. Herbal teas were carefully mixed and blessed to heal Kyungsoo’s mother’s cancer. Ritual cleansings chased evil spirits from their house. Fortunes written on thin parchment were tucked under mattresses and pasted over doorways. The stars dictated which days surgeries would be scheduled. And finally, prayers were said to ensure peace in the afterlife.

Kyungsoo felt a deep loathing when a middle-aged woman dressed in a purple silk robe flipped open the door and stepped out of the tent. Her gaze traveled around the street until it locked onto Kyungsoo. He wanted to turn his back and walk away. He wanted to rush forward, tear down the tent, and trash whatever faux sacred artifacts he’d find inside. He wanted to tell everyone nearby that the woman was a fraud and all fortune tellers were scam artists living off the hope and money of suckers.

He took a step forward and then another. In a moment, he’d followed the woman into the dimly lit tent.

The gold flap had slid down behind him, but Kyungsoo didn’t leave the threshold. A thin, black rug covered the asphalt street, and faded tapestries in red and gold hung from the tent walls. Rubber totes, presumably filled with holy objects, were stacked against the far wall. 

The woman settled on pillows behind a low table and beckoned Kyungsoo to sit across from her. When he just stared back, she said, “You don’t believe, but here you are.” She held her hands out over the table. “Show me your hand, and I will tell you why you chose to come in against your will.”

He knew there was a trick coming, that there would be a catch, but he knelt in front of the table and held out his hand. 

She gripped his wrist and fingertips and twisted his hand from palm up to palm down and back up again. Under her tightly permed hair and thin eyebrows, her sharp eyes examined his hand. She snorted and released it, leaving it hanging over the table. “You’re not here for yourself. You’re here for a friend,” she said. Her eyes darted around his face from his brows and eyes to his lips and jaw. “Maybe more than a friend.”

Kyungsoo lowered his hand and kept his expression blank. Yes, what she said was close to the truth, but it was all part of the con. She would offer vague statements based on his gender, age, appearance, and a careful reading of his facial expressions, and then she would wait. If he was gullible enough, he would fill in the details and turn her guesses into the miraculous truth. 

She glanced down at his hands in his lap. “He’s in trouble, and you can’t stand watching him suffer night after night. How long has been? One month? Two?”

She was close. It had been seven weeks since the nightmares started. Seven weeks of waking up to hear Chanyeol crying, moaning, or even begging for help. Seven weeks of watching him tremble, clutch his arms to his chest, or thrash about fighting whatever haunted his sleep. 

Her eyes moved from his face to his hands to his shoulders and back to his face. “Nothing you’ve done has helped.” 

This guess was way off the mark, and he had to fight to keep the sneer off his face. When Kyungsoo had woken him from the first nightmare, Chanyeol had quickly gone from disoriented and confused to deeply embarrassed. Then, he started avoiding their dorm room. After a week, their RA, Junmyeon, found Chanyeol sleeping in the dorm’s basement lounge. Though he returned to their room, even the slightest reference to the dreams would cause Chanyeol to shut the conversation down. Embarrassment changed to irritation, and he went from avoiding the subject to avoiding Kyungsoo. 

And Kyungsoo still hadn’t caught up with the change in their relationship. He clung to the title of Chanyeol’s best friend while being treated like a barely tolerated acquaintance. He couldn’t stop caring, couldn’t stop wanting to comfort Chanyeol, and couldn’t stop wanting to fix whatever caused the nightmares. 

“Ah,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s not that you haven’t been successful. He won’t even let you try.”

“That’s not true.” Kyungsoo clamped his mouth shut. He didn’t know why he’d lied.

She leaned back and gave him a look that swept over his whole frame. “You keep trying to hide the truth, but I can read you like a book. He’s shut you out and refuses to listen or see. They say you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”

Kyungsoo’s heart fell. He’d heard that before and knew it was true.

“It’s not true,” she said. “And I can help you help him.” 

A “how” slipped out before he could stop himself.

“Look at you,” she said. “You’re exhausted. He’s exhausted. What you both need is a good night’s sleep.”

Kyungsoo shook his head in disbelief. “So what do you have for sale? Teas to lull us to sleep? Ginseng for strength?” 

Her carefully-tweezed eyebrows lowered for a moment. Then she smacked her hands on the table and said, “No tea for you.” 

She stood and turned to the rubber totes behind her. She had to shift the boxes around but quickly found what she was looking for. She hid whatever it was behind her back when she turned to face him.

“What you need was crafted by a matrilineal descendant of the Ojibwe Spider Goddess, Asibikaashi. The nettle-fiber cord was beaten and dyed red in her workshop near the headwaters of the Mississippi River and is twisted through and around a hoop made of strips from a one-hundred-year-old willow tree. The beads were salvaged from the ceremonial tunic her great-grandmother wore while conducting rites to welcome the sun at the Winter Solstice. And the feather was collected from the tame blue jay that lives in the rafters above her workshop.”

She stared at Kyungsoo for a beat before she held out the item. It was small, only about nine centimeters in diameter, and simple with just two beads. A blue, black, and white feather dangled from the red spider webs. Hardly knowing what he was doing, Kyungsoo stood and reached for the dreamcatcher. 

As she placed the small hoop on the palm of his hand, he felt as though he was jerked forward. His stomach lurched with nausea and his eyes blinked against a wave of vertigo. In the next moment, he snapped back into himself. He stood motionless in the tent, stomach calm, head clear, and the dreamcatcher resting innocently in his hand. He looked up at the fortune teller, shaman, whatever the hell she was.

“Will that be cash or charge?” she asked.

***

Kyungsoo examined their tiny dorm room in dismay. The room was a box with a window in the center of the far wall. His bed was pushed to the right of the window, Chanyeol’s to the left, and a small desk sat at the foot of each bed. Chanyeol had covered the walls of his half of the room in vintage skateboard posters from the seventies and eighties. To match, Kyungsoo had hung posters and album covers of Soul and R&B singers from the same era over his bed. A dreamcatcher would be a little out of place.

An internet search of dreamcatchers had yielded conflicting information on how the things worked. He’d read the questionable translations of six different sites and still didn’t know which North American tribe or god had invented them. It was also unclear whether bad dreams drifted up and were caught in the web or good dreams leaked out and down the feather. But all the websites agreed on one thing. It had to be placed above the head of the sleeper.

He imagined asking to replace the 70’s Logan Earth Ski skateboard hanging over Chanyeol’s bed with the palm-sized dreamcatcher. He’d be lucky to have Chanyeol just ignore him and not abandon their room again for bringing up the nightmares. Even hanging the dreamcatcher where Chanyeol could see it seemed like too big of a risk. 

But it wasn’t like he thought it was going to work anyway, right?

He stood on his mattress and took down the framed Marvin Gaye concert poster that hung over the head of his bed. He strung the dreamcatcher from the exposed nail and rehung the poster in front of the hoop. Hopping off the bed, he looked at it from all angles, especially from the head of Chanyeol’s bed. He could tell there was a bigger gap than normal between the wall and the frame, but he knew it was there. Would a sleepy Chanyeol, casually glancing over, notice it? Kyungsoo didn’t have much time to worry about it. He heard the sound of loud male voices, and just had time to roll off Chanyeol’s bed, when the door opened and Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Jongdae walked in.

After kicking off his shoes at the door, Baekhyun threw himself across Kyungsoo’s bed. “I can’t believe you disappeared on us, Soo-yah.”

Kyungsoo pulled Baekhyun’s feet off his pillow. He picked up the pillow and sat in its place before Baekhyun had a chance to soil it again.

“That surprised you?” Jongdae asked. He sat in Chanyeol’s office chair and rolled back and forth between the beds. “I’m shocked he came with us in the first place. Walk in the sunshine, surrounded by actual people-- yuck.” He faked a cringe and a shudder.

Chanyeol looked up from his desk as he stuffed a folder into his backpack. “Actual people? What does that make you guys?” He wore a Chanyeol Smile No. 7: The Amused Smirk. The left side of his mouth was lifted higher than the right, and his eyes were slightly narrowed in a judgemental stare. He zipped his bag and pulled it over his shoulder. “I gotta go, guys. I’ve got my music theory test tomorrow, and I need to study at the library,” he said.

Kyungsoo’s stomach flipped between satisfaction and disappointment. He was happy Chanyeol had snarked at the Jongdae and Baekhyun for making fun of him but disappointed that Chanyeol was leaving as soon as he’d arrived, again. 

Chanyeol was already opening the door when Kyungsoo called, “Wait! Will you be back to eat?”

“I’ll be late,” Chanyeol said, his tone sharp. “Don’t wait for me.”

He shut the door behind him as Kyungsoo said, “But... they’re serving pork cutlets tonight.”

Jongdae rolled over to Kyungsoo and patted his knee. “You know, he’s just really stressed out over the test.” 

Kyungsoo nodded. He’d overheard Chanyeol telling Jongdae about it. The test was a third of his final grade. But he also knew it wasn’t just this test that was responsible for Chanyeol’s abrupt behavior. How long would Baekhyun and Jongdae make excuses for Chanyeol? How long would he make those excuses himself? He pursed his lips. _Probably forever._

Baekhyun crawled across the bed and laid his head on the pillow in Kyungsoo’s lap. “Don’t worry, Soo-yah. We’ll eat with you.”

“Don’t call me Soo.” He said it because it was expected, and he smiled on cue when Baekhyun poked the corner of his mouth.

***

The central stairway of the Humanities and Social Sciences Hall was unusually crowded, and Kyungsoo had to weave between groups of students as he climbed to the third floor. At the top, he found his way blocked by a cluster of students with their phones out. One still had hers raised over her head and was taking a picture of the packed hallway.

One woman raised her voice over the loud hum of the crowd and said, “Did I really see that.”

They burst into giggles. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes when they all checked their phones as though reality was on their screens. Unable to resist, he looked over their shoulders to see what was so funny. On the screen, he caught a glimpse of a very familiar head of lollipop-red hair poking up over the crowd. 

A wave of anxiety crashed over Kyungsoo. Something was wrong. Right now. And he desperately needed to fix it. He stood on his toes and tried to catch a glimpse of Chanyeol over the crowd. That was hopeless, so he hurried down the hall in the direction the women had been looking.

The hall was as crowded as the stairs had been. When Kyungsoo brushed against another student, the man stopped abruptly. Out of surprise, Kyungsoo turned his head to look at the suddenly still man. Then another student next to him stopped moving too, and the next, and the next. Kyungsoo spun in a circle to see everyone silently posed as if in motion. He was surprised and a little confused, but the deep worry he felt wouldn’t let him stay to investigate. Careful not to touch any of the mannequin-like students, he continued down the hallway. 

As he traveled, he started to hear muffled voices. Since he was the only thing moving in the hallway, he guessed the sound came from a classroom. With each empty classroom he found, he felt like he was running out of time. But the voices were growing louder, and he knew he must be close. When he saw a closed door, he somehow knew this was what he was looking for. 

He jogged to the door and yanked it open. The professor at the front of the room and all the students at their desks turned their heads to look at him panting in the doorway. Habit kicked in, and Kyungsoo bowed to the professor. The professor bent back down over her stacks of papers, and the students resumed talking, studying, and checking their phones. But he only noticed that peripherally. His eyes were locked on Chanyeol sitting in the middle of the room. Kyungsoo understood now why the students by the stairs were giggling. 

Chanyeol was naked. Entirely. Even his feet were bare.

He gave Kyungsoo a puzzled look like he was the strange one here. Maybe he was because no one else was acting as if a classmate was sitting bare-ass-naked in the room with them.

He slipped between the rows of desks and stood a little behind and to the side of Chanyeol. It was probably uncomfortable for Chanyeol to twist around like that, but Kyungsoo didn't want to see all of Chanyeol, sitting there, like that. From this direction, he only had to distract himself from staring at Chanyeol’s broad shoulders and arms. 

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol pointed at the papers scattered across his desk. “I’m just about to take my music theory test.”

“That’s right,” Kyungsoo said. He was still baffled by Chanyeol’s appearance, but he was willing to play along until he understood what was going on. “I forgot about your test.” 

“Yeah, it’s gonna start any minute.” Chanyeol turned back around and looked at his desk. “Huh. Where’s my pen?” He looked down at the floor next to Kyungsoo and then on the other side of his desk. “And what happened to my backpack?” 

Chanyeol moved his hands from his desk to his waist. It looked like he was trying to put his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. The hoodie he wasn’t wearing. He went still for a moment, and then he whipped his head around to look at Kyungsoo. His face was blank, and he blinked a few times before he looked down at his lap. His back straightened and shoulders snapped back before curling down. Then his head drooped until his forehead touched the desktop.

From the front of the classroom, the teacher said, “Everyone clear your desks. It’s time to take the test.” She handed stacks of papers to the students seated in the front row.

It was a chain reaction as the students in the first row turned to hand back the tests and finally noticed the naked man in their midst. Their gasps and stares alerted those in the second and third rows that something was going on behind them. One woman stood and turned to look at Chanyeol while covering her eyes with her test. Soon all the students were staring at him, and the room erupted in a mix of giggles and harsh whispers. One asshole whistled.

Chanyeol curled in on himself more, and Kyungsoo wanted to throw himself over him to protect him from his classmates’ stares.

Loud clapping from the teacher brought the students’ attention back to the front of the classroom. “We don’t have time for this, class. Pass the tests back and keep your eyes on your work.” 

The volume of whispers ticked down a notch. Some of the students turned around in their seats and handed the tests back down the rows. When it was her turn, the woman in front of Chanyeol slid all the way around in her seat. She let her gaze rake across his body. She tilted to the side to get a better view of his lower half. Kyungsoo stepped in front of Chanyeol to block her view and plucked the tests out of her hand.

He kept his body between the woman and Chanyeol even as he kept the top test and turned to pass the rest to the next student. He didn’t like the way this student’s lips were twisted into a cruel smirk. He widened his eyes and frowned as he slapped the tests on the desk in front of the other man. It took raising his eyebrows and taking a step toward him to get the man to lower his gaze.

Kyungsoo knew he couldn’t personally stop every student from staring at Chanyeol. He needed to get him out of the classroom. He hunkered down next to him but was careful not to touch him or the desk. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Let’s go.”

Chanyeol’s forehead pivoted against the desktop when he shook it. His voice was so soft Kyungsoo almost couldn’t believe it came from him. “I can’t. I have to take this test. I can’t skip it.” He made a soft whining noise, and his shoulders began to shake.

Kyungsoo wobbled and grabbed Chanyeol’s bare ankle to keep himself from falling over. It took seeing Chanyeol shake and hearing him whine as he had for so many nights for him to understand. 

He was in a dream. 

For some reason, the dreamcatcher had pulled Kyungsoo into Chanyeol’s nightmare instead of stopping him from having one. Was it because he’d hung it over his bed instead of Chanyeol’s?

The whispering grew louder and forced him out of his daze. Even after the teacher’s scolding, the other students couldn’t or wouldn’t concentrate on their tests. But if Chanyeol wanted to take this test, dammit, Kyungsoo was going to make it happen. 

He stood and glanced around. “I’m taking this,” he said and stole a pen off the rude woman’s desk. She opened and closed her mouth in surprise but didn’t argue with him.

He crouched down next to Chanyeol again. He kept his eyes on the side of Chanyeol’s face and held up the test and pen. “Ready?”

Chanyeol tilted his head and looked right at him for the first time since he realized the state he was in. “I can’t take the test.” His voice was so, so soft. “I don’t have any clothes on. I can’t take a test naked.”

It was Kyungsoo’s turn to hang his head. This may be a dream, but it’s not like he can, poof, make clothes magically appear. And he can’t give Chanyeol his clothes. His black t-shirt and jeans were at least three sizes too small. Plus, if he gave them to Chanyeol, then what would he wear?

_Well, that didn’t matter, did it? And what was the English expression for being willing to do anything for someone? Give them the shirt off your back, right?_

He set the test and pen on the floor and stood so he could take off his shirt without tipping over. “Here,” he said and pushed the t-shirt into the small space between Chanyeol’s chest and the desktop. When Chanyeol didn’t take it, he awkwardly let it drop onto his lap. Then he unfastened the fly of his jeans and began to shimmy out of them. He decided to keep his boxers. Even in a dream, sharing used underwear was just gross. 

Chanyeol was still bent over his desk when Kyungsoo tried to hand him his jeans. At least he now held the t-shirt on his lap and covered things Kyungsoo didn’t need to see at the moment. He bent over to whisper in Chanyeol’s ear. “Come on. At least try them on. You need to finish the test before class is over.” 

Chanyeol just whined louder in response. 

Trying to guess what the problem was, Kyungsoo said, “The sooner you get dressed, the sooner they’ll stop looking at you. And I’ll turn around if that’s bothering you, too.” Chanyeol nodded, and Kyungsoo walked to the far end of the row.

A chair scraped behind him, and he assumed Chanyeol had stood to pull on his jeans. The volume of whispers first swelled and then diminished into silence. Around him, the students finally turn their attention to their tests. He counted to sixty and waited. Then he counted to sixty again before glancing over his shoulder to check on Chanyeol. 

Wearing Kyungsoo's clothes, Chanyeol was bent over his desk and working on his test. Kyungsoo felt a surge of relief and happiness at seeing the old Chanyeol again. He looked confident, poised, and relaxed. 

Kyungsoo couldn’t believe the dreamcatcher had pulled him into Chanyeol’s dream. That wasn’t how it was supposed to work. But he’d been able to help Chanyeol, and that was worth all the money he’d given to the fortuneteller. 

Now that his job was done, he didn’t know what happened next. Would he pop out of Chanyeol’s dream and reappear back in his bed? Should he stand there and wait to evaporate, or should he say goodbye to Chanyeol and go... somewhere else... in his boxers? 

“Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol stage-whispered. When Kyungsoo had returned to his desk, he asked, “Can you stay? Just hang out while I take the test.”

Kyungsoo’s brain whirred with surprised elation and satisfaction. He managed to say, “Sure, I’ll just sit here.”

The carpet was scratchy against his bare legs as he sat cross-legged, close, but not too close, to Chanyeol’s chair. He briefly wished he had his phone, but he was too busy to be bored with all the feeling happy and smiling he was doing. After a few minutes, he felt Chanyeol’s hand on his head. He questioned if this was Chanyeol’s nightmare or his own dream as Chanyeol’s fingertips began to comb through his hair.

His dream he decided as Chanyeol continued to pet him. This had to be his dream.

***

Without his alarm to jolt him awake, Kyungsoo woke in slow stages. His first sensations were of warmth, contentment, and peace. Those feelings grew when he realized what he wasn’t feeling: anxiety, exhaustion, and restlessness.

He wasn’t ready to open his eyes, so he wiggled deeper into his comforter and basked in his mellow happiness. He felt the plush cotton against his hands and feet and remembered the nubby, rough texture of carpet against his bare legs and the soft scratch and tickle of fingers threading through his hair. The echo of whispers along with images of malicious smiles, a crowded hallway, and a distraught Chanyeol resting his forehead against his desktop triggered Kyungsoo’s memory. 

His eyes snapped open.

A meter away, Chanyeol slept peacefully, his face lax, brow smooth, and mouth slightly parted. 

Kyungsoo wanted to run victory laps to the soundtrack to _Rocky._ He wanted to tear down the dreamcatcher because _what the hell happened last night?_ He wanted Chanyeol always to be so untroubled, tranquil, and calm.

A glance at his phone showed it was early, but he felt antsy from the rush of emotions. He put on his glasses and decided to get up. 

Chanyeol was awake and holding his towel when Kyungsoo returned from his shower. He hesitated in the open doorway. Which Chanyeol would greet him? Would it be distant Chanyeol, exhausted Chanyeol, hyper, distraught, happy, or playful Chanyeol?

After looking at him for a beat, Chanyeol raised his eyebrows and lifted one corner of his mouth in a Chanyeol Smile No. 8: The Entertained Smile. It was fond but playfully judgy. Bonus points were given if his eyes twinkled. “Are you coming in?” he asked.

Kyungsoo awarded himself those bonus points and smiled back. “Are you heading out?”

Chanyeol chuckled as he slung his towel over his shoulder. He paused in the doorway to ruin Kyungsoo’s carefully styled hair.

Kyungsoo batted his hand away. “Do you want to get breakfast together?” he asked. 

Chanyeol ruffled Kyungsoo’s hair again. When Kyungsoo pulled back his fist to punch his arm, he ran out of the room. “Yes to breakfast,” he called over his shoulder. 

Filled with optimism for the day ahead, Kyungsoo watched him disappear down the hallway.

***

And he was right. It was a pretty good day. Around noon, Chanyeol posted to their group chat that he’d aced the test. Everyone made plans to have dinner at Jongin’s favorite fried chicken restaurant to celebrate.

Kyungsoo’s professor had insisted on one last monologue evaluation, so he was the last to arrive at the restaurant. Sehun gave up his spot so his “favorite hyung” could sit between himself and Jongin. Kyungsoo settled in for an evening of making sure Jongin got enough to eat, and Sehun had someone to smile with whenever he got a rise out of Jongin with his teasing.

At the other end of the table, Chanyeol joked and bickered loudly with Baekhyun and Jongdae. It seemed like every time Kyungsoo looked, Chanyeol was laughing. 

When all that was left of dinner was a plate of bones and crumbs, Baekhyun called for two bottles of soju and insisted that as the oldest he should make a toast. It was long-winded and more about how he was a good judge of character and an incredible motivational speaker than praise for Chanyeol. He wrapped up with, “We’re always here for you, so don’t freak out next time. Cheers!” 

Turning to face Chanyeol after Baekhyun’s speech, Kyungsoo was surprised to see Chanyeol looking back at him. It only lasted a moment, a heartbeat or two, but he swore he saw a Chanyeol Smile No. 2: The Smile That Must Not Be Named. It was such a small smile-- mouth closed, cheeks lifted, eyes crinkled and head tilted slightly to the left. But it was like sunshine on your face on a cold day, the smell of fresh bread, your grandmother’s hug, and the thrum of a kitten purring on your lap.

Kyungsoo blinked, and when the world refocused, Chanyeol had turned to Baekhyun. He wore a common No. 5 and had raised his glass for the toast. A beat after everyone else, Kyungsoo said “Cheers,” turned to the side, and downed his shot. 

He’d seen Chanyeol look at him while wearing a No. 2 before, but to be honest, he didn’t know if Chanyeol was interested in guys. He hadn’t dated anyone since he broke up with his girlfriend in the middle of their freshman year, and he hadn’t talked about liking anyone else since then. 

Kyungsoo had come out to the group once it was clear that nobody would react badly. But he’d been so busy with school and friends and Chanyeol that he hadn’t had time to like someone else much less date. And he and Chanyeol never talked about it, ever. He didn’t really know what Chanyeol thought about being gay in general or about him being gay in particular.

So every time he saw that smile aimed at him, it was confusing and frustrating and made him feel warm and hopeful. He held onto this hope when Chanyeol decided to continue the celebration in Baekhyun and Jongdae’s room instead of returning to theirs. Kyungsoo ignored his homework, changed out of his clothes, and climbed into bed. Cocooned in his comforter, he felt the same contentment and peace he had when waking that morning and quickly fell asleep.

***

Kyungsoo was not a stalker. He’d claimed this table in the library an hour earlier. But when Chanyeol joined a group of students sitting near the journals and newspapers, he felt like he was the intruder. He slouched lower in his seat, held the script for his analysis class a little higher, and blocked Chanyeol from his line of sight. Or hid from him. Whichever.

Kyungsoo peered over his script. Chanyeol had taken a seat with his back to him. This could be his cue to exit stage left, or he could get back to analyzing the script for the musical _Rho Ki-soo._ He flattened the pages against the table and picked up a pen and post-it. He was ready to take notes on the stage directions for Act II. Instead, he drew a dot on the yellow post-it, then a second dot, and a curve below the two.

The first time Kyungsoo had seen Chanyeol, he’d been wearing a No. 2. It didn’t have a name then, of course. Hell, he hadn’t known Chanyeol’s name yet. It was move-in day his freshman year. He’d dragged his suitcases and backpack on the bus and subway from his home in Goyang all the way to Hongdae, and he was exhausted. He’d paused outside the dorm to find his room assignment when he saw a tall, long-limbed man hold the door open for a young woman. The stranger had a soft, fond look on his face that radiated happiness, tenderness, and love. And even though it wasn’t directed at him, Kyungsoo felt his heart open and flood with warmth and contentment. 

It wasn’t love at first sight. Rather, he was overwhelmed with the desire to have a smile like that aimed at him and to feel the emotions that would cause him to smile like that for someone. He’d had plenty of crushes, and for six wonderful weeks, he’d thought he was in love. But this was a revelation about the possibilities of love. It was like watching a film go from sepia tones to technicolor or a square unfolding into a cube. Later he realized he’d seen that look before. His mother had smiled like that at his father. But it took seeing it on the face of a handsome stranger for it to change his life.

Smiley faces now covered the post-it, so he pulled it off his script and stuck it next to his highlighters. He peeled off a fresh green one and got down to work. He was well into Act II, Scene 3 when a large hand picked up the yellow post-it. He couldn’t help but laugh when Chanyeol stuck the post-it on his forehead.

Kyungsoo was surprised Chanyeol had stopped by his table. He may have seen that smile over a shot of soju, but the next morning, the stressed, distant Chanyeol had returned. Going back to that after a one-day reprieve was like having salt rubbed into an open wound. The fresh sting highlighted all the old wounds he’d accumulated. It had been two months of watching Chanyeol fearful and suffering in his dreams and two months of being the only one in their group receiving the cold shoulder and fake smiles.

But Chanyeol was here now, and that was always enough. Still smiling, Kyungsoo asked, “What’s up? Working on your marketing project?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol cleared his throat. “It’s due in a week.”

Chanyeol hadn’t told him about it. His voice was always so loud. No one should be accused of eavesdropping if they overheard Chanyeol. They were all sitting together eating lunch when Chanyeol had described the project to Jongdae and Baekhyun. It was worth a large percentage of his grade and had been assigned weeks earlier. He’d laughed and waved his hands in the air like it was a joke as he explained it was a group project and the rest of the students wouldn’t do their share of the work. 

Before starting school as a freshman, Chanyeol had accepted his father’s deal. He could add a double major in music composition if he kept up an A average in his marketing major. Desperate to keep up his grades, he’d earned the reputation among his classmates as a pushover who would do all the work. 

Kyungsoo glanced at the table where Chanyeol’s classmates sat. They all had their phones out except for one who was slumped over the table sleeping. Then he allowed himself to study Chanyeol. The lines around his eyes were deep and the skin below looked like purple bruises. His normally expressive face was flat and emotionless.

He didn’t have much hope, but he had to ask. “Can I help? I could...” He trailed off when Chanyeol’s mouth grew thin and his brows furrowed. “Yeah, I guess not.” 

He didn’t want to, but Kyungsoo felt a wave of irritation at Chanyeol’s automatic refusal. He stood up and pulled the post-it off Chanyeol’s forehead. He tossed the crumpled paper onto the table, sat down, and picked up his pen. Like Baekhyun had said in his toast, Kyungsoo would always be there for Chanyeol, but Chanyeol had to “be there” too. Without looking up, he said, “Let me know if you change your mind.” 

He was already racked with guilt when Chanyeol walked away. He had enough trouble with the project and his classmates. He didn’t need to deal with Kyungsoo’s bad attitude on top of that. Yes, Chanyeol wouldn’t let him help this time, but maybe he would the next time. Kyungsoo would just have to try harder.

***

Kyungsoo kept his black penny loafers on the station side of the yellow line as he waited for the last train of the night. He tried to relax but flinched every time the fluorescent lights above him flicked off with a click and relit with a loud buzz. He would have moved, but he recognized the members of a group of noisy, visibly drunk students in the middle of the platform. One was even wearing a Hongik University hoodie. It was late, and he didn’t have the energy to deal with all... that.

Hearing a rumble and screech, he glanced at the LED screen hanging from the ceiling. It said the next train wouldn’t arrive for another ten minutes. Shrugging, he leaned out to watch the headlights grow and shift as the train entered the station. The breeze from the engine and cars rolling past made his skirt flutter and sailor collar flap against his back.

To his relief, the other students entered a train car closer to the front when he entered the last car. It was empty except for a middle-aged man in a gray suit sitting near the front. He settled on the blue upholstered bench near the back and rested his katana across his knees. He noticed the man watching him as the train pulled out of the station. Caught staring, the older man looked away.

A few moments into the trip, the overhead lights on his end of the train car dimmed and began to flicker. Kyungsoo took off his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. These flickering lights were going to give him a headache. When the lights on the other side of the train car also began to snap on and off, he glanced at the older man again. Beads of sweat dotted the man’s forehead and trickled down his temple despite the damp chill in the air.

Curious but not quite comprehending, Kyungsoo watched the man stand, grab the metal handrail above him, and tear it from the ceiling. Then he roared and launched himself at Kyungsoo, holding the bar like a lance.

Instinct overtook his incredulous, paralyzed brain, and Kyungsoo managed to duck under the handrail. He pulled his katana from its sheath and sliced up into the belly of his attacker. The blade slid free as he dodged behind the man. The handrail hit the ground with a loud clang and skittered down the aisle. He brought the sword up over his head and sliced down the middle of his attacker from head to waist.

Kyungsoo adjusted his footing to accommodate the train jolting over the track and tried to make sense of what had happened. He was just catching the train home when he had been attacked by a stranger and had to defend himself with his sword. 

He barely noticed as the katana slipped from his hand and hit the floor. He didn’t own a sword, and he definitely didn’t know how to use one. He stared at the katana in the growing puddle of blood. Then his eyes traveled up over his body cataloging his appearance. Along with penny loafers, he wore white ankle socks over bare legs. A navy blue, pleated skirt came to his knees, and a shirt of the same color had a red handkerchief tied under its sailor collar. He put together the fact that a man with super strength had attacked him with the fact he was dressed like a schoolgirl. 

He was in another one of Chanyeol’s dreams.

Shifting his feet again to keep his balance as the train rounded a curve, his foot brushed against the katana. This was no way to treat the blade that had just saved his life. He used the red handkerchief to clean the handle and blade before he re-sheathed the sword. 

He tucked the bloody handkerchief into the waistband of his skirt and examined the man who had attacked him. Then his mind went back to the group of rowdy students who’d boarded the train when he did.

He slipped and almost fell into the pool of blood as he turned and ran to the other end of the car. He had to find Chanyeol.

He ignored the sign saying it was illegal to travel from one train car to another and pulled the lever to open the door to the platform outside. He was very aware of how fast the train was moving when he leaped to the next car. Covering his pounding heart with his free hand, he took a moment to catch his breath. On the other side of this door, there could be more people to fight. He just needed a second to get himself together.

Then he slammed the door open and burst into the car. Even as he prepared to draw his sword, he realized the train car was empty. He cursed. Now he had to check the next car, and possibly the train car after that, and the train car after that. 

He ran the length of the train car, told himself it was okay to break the law, opened the door, leaped, landed, paused for a pep talk, and burst into the third train car. From his crouched position, he felt his heart drop and anxiety ratchet up. Once again, the train car was empty. He straightened his back, squared his shoulders, and started again.

The view in the fourth train car was everything he’d anticipated and dreaded. Dressed in knee-length khaki shorts and an oversized t-shirt, Chanyeol lay in the aisle near the middle door. Of the group of five students, two kneeled on the floor and leaned over his body. The other three lounged in the nearest seats.

Kyungsoo knew he had this moment to come up with a plan. His rational brain advised him to be smart, but the rest of his brain screamed, “Screw that! Get them off Chanyeol!” Rationality had to admit it had no idea how to sword fight. The theater department offered an elective that included stage fighting, but he was waiting to take it his senior year. He’d never learned martial arts and didn’t even like playing first-person combat video games. He would have to wing it.

He pulled the katana free and threw the sheath to the side. It hit the floor with a clatter, and the students turned to look at him. His stomach rolled as one wiped blood off her mouth with the back of her hand. She locked eyes with him and licked the blood off her hand. Chanyeol’s blood.

Overwhelmed by anger and disgust, he was swinging his katana at the nearest student-- no, these were blood-sucking vampires-- before he even realized he’d run the length of the train car and launched his attack. He wasn’t upset when the vampires scattered out of the way. He’d accomplished his goal of getting them the hell away from Chanyeol.

He fell to his knees at Chanyeol’s side and laid his sword on the floor within easy reach. Resisting the urge to lift Chanyeol’s head to his lap, he checked for any injuries other than the puncture marks on his neck. Not seeing any, he pulled the handkerchief from his waistband and wiped the blood from his neck. As he brushed Chanyeol’s red hair out of his face, he wondered why he was unconscious.

Growling from the back of the train car drew his attention from Chanyeol. The vampires had started to mutate. Clothes stretched and ripped as muscles grew and bones elongated. Their skin had darkened to the sickening green-brown of pond scum, and their mouths and ears were beginning to jut out at odd angles. 

From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the vampires, the one wearing the university hoodie, sprinting toward them. He grabbed the katana and scrambled to his feet in the narrow space between Chanyeol and the bench facing the door. He tried to anticipate the vampire’s attack and managed to dodge out of the way when it swung one clawed hand at him. He wasn’t as lucky the second time. Knocked sideways, he barely managed to stay on his feet as he was forced to step across Chanyeol’s body.

Chanyeol was obviously the vampire’s primary target. As soon as Kyungsoo was out of the way, it bent over and grabbed him under his arms. Kyungsoo tried to distract it by hitting it across its back with the flat of his sword. While the hit jolted his wrist painfully, it didn’t stop the vampire. Ignoring Kyungsoo, it began to drag Chanyeol toward the front of the car. Kyungsoo gritted his teeth and swung the katana like a baseball bat against the back of its head. The blade flexed and bounced back at him, and he had to fight to keep from dropping the vibrating sword. But the vampire roared and backed away from Chanyeol.

Afraid to take his eyes off the vampires, Kyungsoo kept his sword up as he stood next to Chanyeol. He gently prodded Chanyeol’s shoulder with his foot. His voice was higher pitched than usual as he said, “Chanyeol, get up.” He nudged him again. “Please, get up,” he begged. If Chanyeol could, there was a chance for them to run away or fight the vampires together. But if he just lay there, Kyungsoo would be tripping over him all night.

He heard a soft groan and risked a glance down. 

Chanyeol had rolled a little to the side and leaned on one elbow. “Kyungsoo, is that you?” Chanyeol waved a hand at him. “What? Why?”

Kyungsoo had crouched down next to Chanyeol, and he was now very aware that he was dressed as a schoolgirl. He looked down at how the skirt was hitched up and spread over thighs. He stood quickly and stepped back to relieve his embarrassment and to stop himself from kicking Chanyeol for dreaming this ridiculous situation. Self-consciously, he smoothed the skirt down over his legs. “Forget that,” he said as calmly as he could. “Get up so we can run away or fight or something.”

“No,” Chanyeol said immediately. “Vampires were just drinking my blood. I can’t fight. I can barely move.”

Kyungsoo didn’t know whether to roll his eyes at the sulky tone or apologize. What if Chanyeol had been traumatized or severely hurt by the vampires? Shouldn’t he be comforting him instead of asking him to get up and fight?

A roar from the back of the train distracted him from that thought. Two vampires, one from each end of the train car rushed at them. Anxious about Chanyeol’s vulnerable position in the aisle and uncertain where to stand or which vampire to face first, he hesitated. But then Chanyeol rolled onto his hands and knees and scrambled out of the way. Relieved of one worry, Kyungsoo told himself he was ready and raised his sword.

Normally, he hated the fact that he was a nervous ball of emotions, but right now he had to give his sensitive personality props. Between it and pure instinct, he’d managed to meet every threat since boarding the train. He quieted the part of him that tried to strategize and let his panic and drive to protect Chanyeol guide his movements.

The vampire from the back of the train car was a little bit faster than the one from the front and reached Kyungsoo first. Not waiting for it to attack him, he slashed at its belly. It rounded its back and managed to pull its stomach in, while it continued to reach forward with its long, clawed hands. He dodged behind it, and inspired by the way it was bent forward, he kicked out. His foot connected with its buttocks and pushed it into the second vampire. He let out a surprised laugh when the two crashed into the nearest seats.

For five panicked seconds, he couldn’t find Chanyeol, and he worried something had happened while he was distracted by the vampires. He finally spotted him tucked into the corner where a metal barrier separated the door from the nearest seats. Chanyeol had rolled himself into as small and inconspicuous a ball as possible. 

Kyungsoo’s heart ached, and he flashed back to the few nights he’d dared to hold Chanyeol’s hand and stroke his hair to calm him during his nightmares. Those nights, the dreams had been shorter, Chanyeol had recovered more quickly, and Kyungsoo had felt like he'd managed to do something. It had felt so nice, but it wasn’t a real solution. The days following those nights, Chanyeol had treated him more harshly than usual and the length of time he had ignored him lasted longer. And the nightmares always came back. He desperately wanted to comfort Chanyeol, but it probably wasn’t the right solution now any more than it had been then.

He reached down, grabbed Chanyeol by the ear, and pulled him up. He looked him in the eye and said, “What kind of anime do I like to watch? Sports animes about tennis and ice skating. I don’t know how to fight vampires, but I’m managing. You watch this kind of crap all the time. This should be no problem for you.” He released Chanyeol’s ear and grabbed his hand to give him the katana. “Take the sword. Kick vampire ass and let’s get out of here.”

When Chanyeol didn’t take the sword, Kyungsoo felt his shoulders slump. He’d started to turn away when Chanyeol surprised him by grabbing the hilt.

“Why are you so mean to me?” Chanyeol rubbed his ear with his free hand. “You didn’t need to pull so hard.” He was wearing a Chanyeol Smile No. 6: The Upside Down, lips pressed together, corners down but twitching as he fought back a smile. “So mean.”

Kyungsoo was tempted to pull his ear again out of relief and joy. “You big baby,” he said and didn’t even pretend to fight back his smile.

Chanyeol shifted his gaze from him to the vampires. “If I have the sword, what are you going to fight with? I’m not going to let you sit back and watch me do all the work.” 

Kyungsoo didn’t get the chance to answer. A shriek from the other side of the train car signaled the start of another attack. 

With a greasy wink, Chanyeol said, “Be right back,” and strode forward to meet the vampires in the middle of the car.

The students had finished transforming into hulking monsters. Pointed ears sat high on the back of their heads, and sharp fangs protruded from their thick muzzles. Their hands were plate-sized, and long claws curled from the tips of their fingers. None of their clothes had survived their mutation except for the university hoodie that had magically stretched to fit one of the vampires. 

In the limited space of the car, only two or three were able to attack at one time. But whenever Chanyeol forced one back, another took its place. Unlike Kyungsoo’s encounters, they came at Chanyeol with more than just swinging arms and claws. They’d torn apart some of the seats and were using the metal bars from the seat backs and even the seats themselves as weapons. And Chanyeol was amazing. He spun, dodged, kicked and swung his katana like a martial arts master. All of those hours spent on his PS4 had trained him well.

Kyungsoo’s hands shook with the need to join the fight as he watched from his spot next to the middle doors. When a chair flew through the air, hit the doors next to him, and broke into large chunks, he finally had a way to enter the battle. He gripped the plastic seat back by the sides. It was a simple, blunt weapon that wouldn’t do much damage, but it didn’t need to. If he could distract two or three vampires, Chanyeol could start finishing them off one by one.

Kyungsoo threw himself at the nearest vampire and crashed the plastic board against its back. It snarled and turned around. It was impossible to tell the identical, naked monsters apart. But somehow he knew this was the one who had taunted him by licking Chanyeol's blood from its hand. More than anything, he yearned to smack the sneer off its face. 

He ducked around it and bumped into another vampire who was waiting for its turn to attack Chanyeol. The first vampire swung its arm into the spot where Kyungsoo had been standing and accidentally hit the second vampire. Kyungsoo was halfway down the aisle when the two left the main fight to follow him.

But he didn’t have time to pat himself on the back for his successful strategy. He was too busy trying to put up enough of a fight to keep the vampires occupied. He was able to dodge many of the blows, but he was knocked off his feet and into the surrounding seats more than a few times. He had the claw marks to prove it. He kept picking himself back up because, despite the pain and exhaustion, his head buzzed with adrenaline and excitement. 

Without warning, the vampires stopped attacking him and turned to watch the fight at the front of the car. Chanyeol was down to one opponent, the vampire in the Hongik sweatshirt. Kyungsoo’s vampires looked at each other for a moment before the second one took off for the other side of the car. The first turned back to Kyungsoo with a smirk across its muzzle. 

He threw himself back into the fight and swung the seat back into the vampire’s shoulder with all of his strength. It stumbled into the nearest row of seats, and he felt a surge of energy. He had this.

The fifth time he slid off the bench seat opposite the back door, he let himself rest on the floor with his eyes closed for a moment. He did not have this. He was exhausted, and there was no way he could win this fight. This was a vampire. He couldn’t slap it to death with a bit of plastic. It would take Chanyeol’s sword to put an end to this fight. 

The vampire swung its metal bar at his head. He had enough instinct and energy left to duck under the swing and stumble past it. It felt like he was moving in slow motion as he scrambled over the wreckage of seats littering the aisle on this way to the front of the train car. He heard a thunk as the bar hit the bench behind him. 

At the front of the train car, Chanyeol was down to the vampire in the hoodie again. He faced the front of the car and didn’t respond when Kyungsoo yelled his name. He didn’t turn around until the vampire chasing Kyungsoo threw a bench and it smashed into the seats next to him.

Chanyeol’s expression turned from exhilarated to severe as he looked from the vampire to Kyungsoo. Chanyeol had worn many cold expressions in the last two months, but Kyungsoo had never seen that look on Chanyeol’s face. His stomach twisted, and he halted even though he knew the vampire was right behind him.

Chanyeol held the katana up at his shoulder and took off running toward him. Heart pounding and confused, Kyungsoo stumbled to the side and fell heavily between the nearest seats. Chanyeol was past him in a moment. With a single sweep of his katana, he decapitated the vampire following Kyungsoo. 

Overwhelmed, Kyungsoo slumped into the seats. 

Chanyeol stopped by Kyungsoo and slapped him on the back of his head. “I said I’d be back. You couldn’t wait a minute?” The cold look was gone, replaced by a Chanyeol Smile No. 7: The Amused Smirk.

Feeling a little high from relief and Chanyeol’s smile, Kyungsoo grinned back. “You were taking too long.”

Chanyeol fiddled with the back of Kyungsoo’s sailor collar, flipping it up a few times. Kyungsoo thought he was going to say something else. Instead, he smoothed the collar down before giving Kyungsoo another dope slap. Then he turned and marched back to the center of the train to face the last vampire.

Kyungsoo swore he saw sparks when Chanyeol’s katana met the vampire’s handrail and the two weapons slid against each other. For a moment they appeared frozen in time, and then Chanyeol pushed, and the vampire stumbled back. Chanyeol followed. His blade whistled as he pressed his attack, and forced the vampire to walk backward across the wreckage of the car. Finally, the vampire tripped and fell over a broken seat. Chanyeol lifted his blade for what could have been the killing blow, but it managed to climb out the way and up onto the seats next to him. The vampire towered over Chanyeol and prepared to pounce.

Kyungsoo surged to his feet. There were at least four and a half meters between them. He would never get to Chanyeol in time to help. He looked at the plastic seat back in hands. It wasn’t enough, but it was all he had. He gripped it like a frisbee and sent it spinning through the air. 

“Please, please, please,” he chanted as it sailed over Chanyeol’s head. The vampire noticed it and reached up to slap it away. It wasn’t fast enough, and the edge of the spiraling, plastic board slammed into its neck. The vampire growled and jerked back. Chanyeol leaped forward and slashed up into its belly. The vampire howled and tripped sideways over the seat. As it fell, Chanyeol lifted his blade one last time and sliced through its neck. 

He turned and looked back at Kyungsoo, his eyes cold and focused.

Kyungsoo was halfway through the obstacle course of broken seats when Chanyeol’s stern expression transformed into a Chanyeol Smile No. 3: The Ecstatic Grin. His lips were parted and pulled wide, cheeks scrunched, and eyes half closed. Not that he wanted to, but Kyungsoo was powerless to stop the smile that spread over his face in return.

Chanyeol crouched, both hands holding the katana up at his right shoulder. “Vampire Hunter, Park Chanyeol.” He brought it down in a diagonal slice. “I have prevailed against mighty foes.” He stood up and held out the katana with the blade pointed down. “Aided by my trusty sidekick, Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo.”

“Sidekick?” Kyungsoo made a show of rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Give me that.” He pulled the katana out of Chanyeol’s hand and laid it on the nearest intact seats. He knew nothing of swords or weapons in general, but it had done its job well. Along with the adrenaline, relief, and happiness buzzing through his veins, Kyungsoo felt a surge of gratitude. He didn’t care if he looked silly as he bowed to the blade in thanks.

He turned back to find Chanyeol jumping in the aisle, mimicking the Nike Air Jordan icon. At the top of the jump with his fingers touching the ceiling and legs stretched in a “v,” he shouted, “Just do it.” Back on the ground, he gave Kyungsoo a “sup?” nod before jumping again. 

Kyungsoo felt so full that any movement might cause him to explode into glitter, confetti, and rainbows. He stood in the aisle and followed each jump with his eyes. When Chanyeol paused and mouthed, “what?” at him, he could only grimace and look away. Even opening his mouth to say, “nothing,” might lead to him confessing everything. 

He looked away and took in the utter destruction of the train car and the scattered vampire bodies. His stomach churned, and he had to swallow hard. Chanyeol had dreams like this almost every night. He remembered when he’d first seen the group of rowdy students on the station platform and said, “We know them, right?” 

It was the wrong thing to say. Mid-jump, Chanyeol dropped his arm and landed heavily on the floor. The smile melted off his face, and he said, “I’m working with them on that marketing project.”

Awake, Kyungsoo would be very careful right now. He’d go along with the half-truth so he wouldn’t hurt Chanyeol, so he wouldn’t be avoided or harshly dismissed. But dammit, he was wearing a skirt, and they weren’t awake. If he was ever going to tell Chanyeol what he thought, this was the moment.

“You mean the project where you’re doing all the work, and they’re leeching off you? I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you can let it go. It doesn’t have to get this bad.” He waved his hand at the wreckage and the dead vampires. “You don’t have to feel this bad.”

Chanyeol’s voice was sharp. “My dad...”

Kyungsoo gripped the hem of his skirt for courage. “Forget your dad right now. Deal with the project and these assholes. You can worry about your dad later.”

Chanyeol’s voice was deep and angry. “You’re acting like you have all the answers. Like it’s so easy. You don’t know.”

Kyungsoo wanted to say he did know. He’d spent the last two years “knowing.” But he wasn’t ready to go that far and give himself away like that. He settled on a half-truth. “I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. This is your dream after all.” 

Chanyeol rocked back on his heels. “Yeah... This is a dream”. He lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “I forgot.” 

“So will you do it? Will you tell them you’ll only do your share of the work?” Kyungsoo pushed the subject. This might be the only shot he had at helping Chanyeol with this problem. Who knew whether the dreamcatcher would pull him into another nightmare? “You did this tonight, you know? That means you can do anything.”

“Yeah, I should. I know I should.” Chanyeol still sounded hesitant, but he raised his head, looked Kyungsoo in the eye, and nodded.

Kyungsoo had one last thing he needed to say, that he needed to check. “What’s going to happen tomorrow? You’re not going to be mad at me, right?” The hurt he was showing was a little too real, so he flapped the hem of his skirt at Chanyeol. “You can’t stick me in a schoolgirl uniform and then ignore me the next day. You owe me.”

Chanyeol threw his head back and laughed. His mouth was wide and open, eyes closed, and the loud, contagious laughter came from deep inside. Kyungsoo laughed back and punched Chanyeol in the arm. 

“Deal,” Chanyeol said. He threw one arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder and pointed to the front of the train with the other. “Our stop’s coming up.” 

An LED sign dangled from the ceiling by a few colored wires. “Hongik University Station - 1 minute” scrolled across the screen.

Kyungsoo chuckled and shook his head. Everything was wrapping up like the end of an anime episode. Even the bodies had disappeared, and he hoped it was because Chanyeol was distracted by happier thoughts.

As the train entered the station, Kyungsoo felt a little anxious. This was all ending. Yes, Chanyeol had said he wouldn’t be mad at him tomorrow, but it wasn’t a guarantee. He wanted just one more thing, one more moment. He elbowed Chanyeol, and when he had his attention, he flapped his skirt again. “I’m not going to be wearing this when I wake up, am I?”

He expected a snide comment about his legs and a No. 8: The Entertained Smile, or maybe a No. 6: The Upside Down. Instead, he found himself facing a No. 2, and he couldn’t look away. They’d never been so close when Chanyeol had smiled at him like that. 

The train slowed to a stop, and the doors slid open. As they stepped onto the platform, they were engulfed in a crowd. Someone squeezed between them, and to avoid being pushed back into the car, he had to moved to the side. At first, he tried to get back to Chanyeol but quickly gave up. He stood on the train platform and ignored the crowd as it jostled him back and forth. Instead he let his mind return to the memory of Chanyeol’s smile.

***

Technically Chanyeol hadn’t gone back on his promise not to be mad at him. He didn’t act mad. But he didn’t act happy or sad or friendly or anything else. He was like a non-player character in a video game. They had occasional, stilted interactions that left Kyungsoo longing for there to be a real human behind the Chanyeol avatar.

The evening after the vampire dream, they had arrived at the entrance to their dorm at the same time. It had been so awkward that Kyungsoo had pretended he was in a roommate simulation game. He imagined a drop-down menu listing three possible actions: A.) Return to the room together and be ignored until bedtime; B.) Enter the building together but split up, go to a friend’s room, and return to the room after roommate is asleep; and C.) Pretend to remember leaving earbuds at the library and return to the room after roommate is asleep. He chose option C and stayed at the library until closing time.

Now the second night after the dream, he planned to avoid his room and roommate by hanging out in the dorm’s second-floor lounge with Jongin and Sehun. He was studying, and Sehun and Jongin were playing Hoola when Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Jongdae arrived carrying a cardboard box. 

He only paid partial attention when Jongdae dramatically shook the box, making the contents rattle. Chanyeol had taken the seat next to him rather than the one across the table next to Jongin. Kyungsoo closed his world theater textbook and wondered if he should tamp down the happiness growing in his chest. He chose to smile at Chanyeol instead.

“Behold,” Jongdae said in a deep voice. “A gift from my parents.” 

Baekhyun beat a drum roll on the table as Jongdae dumped out the contents of the box. Spinners, slinkies, water guns, and other party toys piled onto the table. Chanyeol’s face lit up like a kid at their birthday party when it’s finally time to open the presents. He chanted, “Toys, toys, toys,” as he sorted through the pile and inspected rubber ducks, neon yo-yo’s, and a paddle ball shaped like a smiling monkey. After he threw a soft, spiky puffer ball at Baekhyun, he began lining up the bottles of bubble juice. 

Kyungsoo was Jongin and Sehun’s favorite hyung. He fed them, listened to their troubles, and pitched in when they needed help. For Baekhyun and Jongdae he played the long-suffering straight man. He was also mediated when their petty bickering turned into real arguments. 

But with Chanyeol, he wasn’t a sidekick or a supporting character. With Chanyeol, it was like they were the stars of their own television show, a sitcom about two friends making music and hanging out. After being forced to watch _Tokyo Ghoul,_ Kyungsoo had made Chanyeol watch _Yuri on Ice_ with him. That inspired Chanyeol to create a sock skating routine he called “Ghoul on Ice.” He insisted he could catch Kyungsoo and lift him in the air while spinning, and Kyungsoo absolutely refused. Chanyeol was always laughing too hard. They would have both ended up on their asses. 

Kyungsoo found an ice cream shooter toy, the kind where the foam ice cream scoop popped off when you pressed the button on the plastic cone. He chuckled as he turned and aimed the shooter at Chanyeol. 

The Chanyeol from two months ago would have collapsed in laughter after being hit. Kyungsoo had seen it so many times in real life and had no trouble imagining Chanyeol draped over the table, hitting the surface as he laughed. The Chanyeol from two months ago would have grabbed the other shooter and tried to hit him back. And he would have missed because he was laughing so hard, he couldn’t aim. 

But when the foam ball hit his cheek, this Chanyeol jerked his head back in surprise and scowled at Kyungsoo.

Shocked by the contrast between what he’d imagined and what had in fact happened, Kyungsoo lost control of his facial expression. He felt his eyes droop and the corners of his mouth fall. He pretended to push up his glasses so he could hide his expression until he recovered his usual poker face.

He turned his back on Chanyeol and held out the reloaded ice cream shooter to Sehun. “If you manage to hit Jongin, I’ll buy you a snack from the convenience store,” he said.

Sehun grabbed the shooter.

Jongin ran and hid behind Jongdae. “Hyung!” 

“If you escape,” Kyungsoo told him, “I’ll buy you the treat instead.”

When Jongin ran around the table to grab the other shooter from him, he told himself he didn’t care, that it didn’t matter. Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Chanyeol laughed as they watched the two chase each other around the lounge. As always, Chanyeol laughed the loudest. By the time Sehun had cornered Jongin next to the vending machines, and they had popped each other in the chest and chin, Kyungsoo managed to laugh too. 

He stuffed his books into his backpack. He made a point of thanking Jongdae and waving goodbye to Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Then he turned to Jongin and Sehun. “Come on. Let’s get something from the store.” He didn’t look back, as they headed down the stairs.

***

It was late, but not nearly late enough. At the convenience store, Kyungsoo had bought triangle-shaped kimbap, bags of popcorn, and bottles of yogurt as a bribe to keep Jongin and Sehun out past their bedtime. They had an early morning dance class, and eventually, he gave in to the guilt he felt every time Jongin yawned.

He stood outside his room, took out his keys, and gave them a good shake. If Chanyeol was in there, the rattling keys would warn him that he was at the door. 

Suddenly exasperated with himself, he fumbled with the keys and dropped them on the carpet. The truth was that he had no idea what Chanyeol wanted or thought or why he did anything. All Kyungsoo did was try to read Chanyeol’s mind and assume the worst. He scooped up his keys. Yes, things had been rough since the nightmares started, but Chanyeol was still Chanyeol. He needed to stop guessing and let whatever was going to happen, happen. _Chanyeol’s still Chanyeol,_ he repeated to himself as he opened the door.

It was as if those words had been a magic spell breaking the curse that had transformed Chanyeol. Kyungsoo almost couldn’t believe it when he saw Chanyeol sitting on his bed, playing his electric guitar. He transitioned between a few chords, paused, then ran through the chords again. He picked up his pencil and scribbled in his composition notebook before continuing to play.

Kyungsoo had to laugh at himself. With his giant headphones on, Chanyeol hadn’t heard any of the noise from the hallway. Hell, his back was to the door, and he still hadn’t noticed Kyungsoo was in the room with him. 

It had been two months since he’d seen Chanyeol play. At one time, it seemed like he spent all of his time with Chanyeol working out new songs to cover or composing their own music. That had been Jongdae’s whole argument when he talked everyone into swapping roommates. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were always in each other’s rooms playing music. It made sense for the two to become roommates. Then Baekhyun and Jongdae could finally get some peace. 

But a week or so before the nightmares started, Kyungsoo had come home to a clutter-free room. Chanyeol had packed up his amps, pedals, keyboard, and guitars and stuffed them into his closet and under his bed. Whether Kyungsoo was forthright or subtle in his questioning, Chanyeol refused to talk about it. He would just shake his head, mutter something unintelligible, or change the subject. Their once noisy room became museum quiet with music heard only through headphones and fewer and fewer words spoken between them.

But here he was. Chanyeol. Playing his guitar. In their room. Right now. 

Kyungsoo purposely bumped the end of Chanyeol’s guitar as he walked to his bed and sat down. He grinned when Chanyeol looked over and pulled off his headphones. “What are you working on?” he asked.

Chanyeol ran his left hand up and down the neck of his guitar a few times. “Just a piece for my contemporary techniques class.” 

Kyungsoo made grabby hands. “Let me see.” He took the composition notebook when Chanyeol silently handed it over. On a good day, reading guitar music wasn’t easy. Chanyeol liked to increase the level of difficulty with sloppy penmanship, incomplete erasures, and out of place doodles. Kyungsoo snorted. “This is a mess.” 

“I’m the only one that has to be able to read it,” Chanyeol said and reached for the notebook. 

Kyungsoo moved it behind his back. “Give me a sec.” He brought it back out and flipped through the pages before and after the part Chanyeol was working on. The manuscript was mostly chording and rhythm notations, but if Kyungsoo read it right, it was a light, pop-y song for two guitars and a bass. “This looks fun. Let me hear.”

He waited for Chanyeol to nod before he unplugged Chanyeol’s headphones from his small, portable amp. Then he dialed down the volume. They’d had more than their share of noise complaints already.

Chanyeol tapped the beat with his foot, and on eight he struck the first chord. The rhythm was syncopated, and the unexpected beats had Kyungsoo smiling and tapping his hands on his thighs. Chanyeol had his head down through the first verse, but when he looked up for the chorus, he returned Kyungsoo’s grin with an authentic Chanyeol Smile No. 5. By the second verse, they were both bobbing their heads on the beat. Chanyeol ended the song with an unnecessary flourish and hand raised in the air.

Ready to have fun, Kyungsoo said, “Do you have lyrics for it?”

“Nope.” Chanyeol draped his arms across the front of his guitar. “It’s not part of the assignment.”

Kyungsoo popped up and stole the pencil from Chanyeol’s bed. “Shall we?”

They began to throw around song ideas. Half seriously, mostly jokingly, they came up with a guy drooling over a beautiful girl in a black dress, destroying the hegemony, fans’ overreacting to their idols, and partying the night before a war.

Wearing a No. 8: The Entertained Smile, Chanyeol asked, “What are you doing?” He pointed at Kyungsoo’s feet.

Kyungsoo looked down and was surprised to see the toes of his right foot raised. He hadn’t been aware he was doing that. “I’m studying the musical _Rho Ki-soo_ for my script analysis class, so I asked Jongin and Sehun to show me some basic tap steps.” 

Chanyeol had clenched his jaw a little, but he was still smiling. Kyungsoo took that as a good sign. He jumped up and moved to the open space by their desks.

“So there are toes and heels.” He lifted his toe and tapped. Next, he rose up on his heel and came down with another tap. “Then there are toe taps.” He slid his right leg out to the side and tapped his toe. Sliding it back to its first position, he swung it front to back. “And that’s brush and drag. If I had the right shoes on, it’d make a cool sound.” He did the move again and made the shuffling sound himself.

Chanyeol had lost his smile, and his expression was flat as he plucked the E string with his thumb. The tone was off-key and muffled by his arm resting against the strings. “You’ve been hanging out with those two a lot.”

Kyungsoo walked back to his bed. Not sure where Chanyeol was going with that, he just nodded. He’d spent two years learning to read the face and voice of an expressive and open Chanyeol. But he couldn’t figure out how to read this distant, stoic-faced Chanyeol. He didn’t look happy since there were no eye crinkles or lifted cheeks. He clenched his jaw, but with no furrowed brows or turned down lips he didn’t look unhappy either. Everything was like the note Chanyeol had just played, technically open, but muted and flat. 

Something had changed Chanyeol’s mood. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but Kyungsoo decided to act like it hadn’t. “Have you heard any good songs lately? Maybe that’ll give us some inspiration.”

Chanyeol stood, set the guitar on his bed, and unplugged his guitar and began packing up his equipment. "No. I've been a little busy lately. No time to find anything new."

"Oh, yeah. Busy with your marketing project, right? How’s that going?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Kyungsoo wanted to tear through the space-time continuum and take them back. 

Chanyeol stiffened, and his mouth became a thin, straight line. He knelt, pulled the guitar case out from under the bed, and opened it on the floor. "Yeah, well, I decided to tell the other group members that I was only going to do my share of the project. And I already finished that. So I had some free time to work on my composition homework."

Kyungsoo’s jaw dropped. He was surprised and happy and confused. And proud. Chanyeol had done it. It probably had nothing to do with the dream. Chanyeol probably didn't even remember it, much less Kyungsoo's role in it. That didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Chanyeol had stopped letting those students take advantage of him. Kyungsoo had to hold back the impulse to jump around like Chanyeol had after taking down the last vampire.

"That's great. I'm glad you told them off." He tried to organize his feelings and winnow his reactions to just one or two. "I bet you feel so much better now."

Chanyeol glanced over his shoulder from where he knelt putting his guitar in its case. The corners of Chanyeol's mouth were turned down. "No. Now I'm going to get a failing grade on a major assignment, and my dad is going to freak out." He closed the case and zipped it shut.

"But maybe...” Kyungsoo hesitated. He wanted to help so badly despite Chanyeol's repeated refusals. He weighed the possibility Chanyeol might listen to him against being the probability of rejection. Chanyeol had sounded pessimistic, but for Kyungsoo change and courage were powered by momentum. If you let it, one thing could lead to another. He chose to try again and said, “Maybe this is the time to talk to him again."

"Can you not...” Chanyeol sighed. “I really don't..." He pushed his guitar under the bed. "You know, I think I need a snack from the convenience store, too. I'll see you later." 

At the door, Chanyeol pulled his black hoodie over his head and looked back at Kyungsoo. He forced his mouth into a Chanyeol Smile No. 9: The Obligatory One, both corners lifted briefly, but the rest of his face stiff and flat. Seeing it now, Kyungsoo wanted to revise its name to "Chanyeol Smile No. 9: The Killing Me Softly Smile." He lifted his hand in an unseen wave goodbye as Chanyeol walked out.

***

Though the sun had set and the breeze combing through his long hair had turned cold, warmth still radiated from the black, tiled roof. Kyungsoo stretched his legs out in front of him and rolled his shoulders to work the stiffness from his body. Now that it was dark, it was time to move, explore, and see where the night took him. He stood and straightened his clothes, pulling down his long, black vest, so it didn’t bunch over his sword belt.

From his vantage point on the tallest building in the servants’ quarters, he could see about a third of the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds. While the surrounding area had fallen under darkness, the main courtyard had been growing brighter as groups of torch-bearing servants, courtiers, and soldiers gathered before the steps of the palace proper. 

He didn’t remember any gossip about court events and was dying of curiosity to know what was going on. It would be a quick trek across the rooftops to a point where he could see most of the courtyard. If he wanted a closer look at ground level, his dark clothes would keep him hidden in the shadows of the courtyard wall.

In his soft-soled boots, it was an easy walk along the roof ridge to the edge of the building. The buildings making up the servants’ quarters were laid out in a block of three across and four down. Alleys ran the three meters between each building. It was a longish jump, but hopping from rooftop to rooftop was the safest way to travel around the palace. 

He’d backed up a few steps to get a running start when he heard a male voice below him. Curious, he looked down and saw a soldier walking along the alley in front of the building he was on. The call was answered by another soldier coming from the opposite direction. He couldn’t see where the two men met, but he heard the hushed murmur of their voices. 

He crept down the slope of the roof and crouched a meter from the edge. He hoped they would have information about whatever was going on in the courtyard. He still couldn’t see the soldiers, but he could differentiate between the two by their voices. 

First, a rich but nasally baritone asked, “Why aren’t you in the courtyard with everyone else?” 

“I was sent to the cells with a message. I saw him there,” said a light tenor.

“How’s he holding up?” 

“Are you a supporter?” The tenor sounded cautious.

The baritone’s voice went slightly deeper, and he articulated more clearly as he said, “I am a member of the king’s army. I am sworn to protect the king’s family, and he is the crown prince.”

The tenor humphed. Then he said, “He looked well. Not too roughed up, for all they took him by force.”

“But how did he seem? Is he afraid for tonight? What... what do they have planned?” Based on their voices, Kyungsoo had assumed the baritone was older and perhaps in a position of authority over the tenor. But now he sounded young and in need of reassurance. 

“If he doesn’t concede to the king, he’ll lose his fingers.” The tenor’s voice was flat, strictly delivering the facts. 

“To do that to his son...”

The tenor’s tone stayed neutral as he said, “Prince Chanyeol went against the king’s command. There are consequences for disobedience.” 

Kyungsoo felt his knees go out, and he stumbled trying to stay upright. When his foot slipped, and he toppled face first over the edge of the roof, he knew. 

This was a dream.

Right before he landed, he turned his face to the side and hit the ground with his cheek, the palms of his hands, and his knees. In shock, he collapsed into a fetal position and tried to catch his breath.

After five rapid heartbeats, he forced himself to his feet. Chanyeol was a prisoner and about to be tortured by having his fingers cut off. He didn’t have time to lay around.

Behind him, the baritone said, “What the hell?”

Kyungsoo glanced back just long enough for the tenor to yell, “stop,” and he was off. 

His vague plan only had two items, outrunning the soldiers and finding Chanyeol. He randomly picked a direction and ran straight ahead between the next set of buildings. The soldiers ordered him to halt as they chased him.

When he burst into the next alley, he realized he was heading toward the palace. There was only one more set of buildings before he ran into the courtyard wall. He briefly considered turning right and trying to lose the guards within the servants’ quarters. But he chose to head straight for the wall, counting on his ability to outpace the soldiers while getting him closer to finding Chanyeol.

And until he emerged from between that set of buildings, he’d thought he’d made the right decision. The surprised looks on the faces of the guards he’d run into convinced him he’d made a mistake.

This time it was barely a conscious decision. Before he told his body to keep running, he was already committed to breaking through the line of soldiers with the intention of climbing the wall. 

The soldiers must not have expected him to run at them because they didn’t move as he dodged between the nearest two. They had barely begun to react when he launched himself up and at the stone wall. His hands and feet automatically caught the crevices where the stones were joined together and pulled him up. He was already standing atop the wall when the soldiers began shouting in earnest.

The palace courtyard was lit by torches spaced every meter or two along the perimeter and up the steps. Surrounded by his advisors and guards, the king sat on the top tier overlooking the courtyard. His embroidered, red silk robe glowed in the torchlight, and it was hard to look away. A guard stood on the lowest level, reading loudly from a scroll. About six meters away from the wall, courtiers knelt in long rows facing the palace. They were tightly packed together creating a large audience to witness Chanyeol’s punishment. More soldiers stood in long columns around the courtiers. 

Kyungsoo was about to jump off the wall when movement on the far side of the palace caught his eye. Guards led a tall man dressed in a white robe into the courtyard. His arms were tied together, and he stumbled a little when they pushed him forward. Though he couldn’t see his face, Kyungsoo was certain this was Chanyeol. His heart broke a little at the slope of Chanyeol’s shoulders and how his head hung down.

The shouts from the servants’ quarters had grown louder, and the nearest courtiers and soldiers in the courtyard had turned to see Kyungsoo on the wall. Now there would be no sneaking in the shadows. He drew his sword and jumped.

Based on the soldiers’ positions, if he tried to run around the edges of the crowd, he would be confronted with a soldier every meter. Instead, he chose to head at a diagonal into the crowd of kneeling courtiers. He counted on his presence in the densely packed space to create enough chaos to prevent the soldiers from capturing him.

Several soldiers ran out to confront him before he reached the main group. He swung his short sword wildly at them. He was pretty certain the dream would give him the ability to fight, but after the bloody battle on the train, he really didn’t want to hurt anyone in this dream. He hoped these soldiers would have enough self-interest to just get out of his way. He was relieved when they swerved around him, and he put more effort into sprinting to the courtiers. 

Even before he reached them, the nearest courtiers were already standing. But rather than moving out of the way of the sword-wielding intruder, they milled in place and complained they couldn’t see what was going on in front. As he and the soldiers tried to push through the crowd, the courtyard quickly turned into a mosh pit. The agitated courtiers bumped and jostled into each other and pushing matches broke out in the densely packed space. Soon the soldiers were fighting with courtiers as much as they were trying to apprehend Kyungsoo. 

Since he didn’t dare re-sheath his sword, half of Kyungsoo’s attention went to making sure that in the chaos he didn’t accidentally cut or stab someone. The other half went to navigating through the mob. He spent as much time getting out of the way of fighting courtiers as he spent trying to get past them.

The closer he got to the palace, the louder and more commanding the voice from the front became. Over the shouts and complaints of the soldiers and courtiers, the charges against Chanyeol were proclaimed. He was accused of everything from disrespecting the crown to treason and insurrection. Then the voice from the palace shouted, “Bring the prisoner forward to meet the charges.”

Stuck in the middle of the crowd and desperate to see Chanyeol, Kyungsoo jumped, but only caught a glimpse of the palace over the sea of heads. When he landed, he accidentally swung the hilt of his sword into the stomach of the soldier next to him. Though he felt bad when the man bent over in pain, instead of helping him, Kyungsoo jumped again. This time he saw the back of Chanyeol’s head as he stood directly before the king. 

Through all of the chaos, Kyungsoo had only made it to the center of the courtyard. He might have made it further if he’d actually fought, but he still wasn’t ready to deliberately hurt anyone. He needed a different solution. Maybe if he couldn’t get to Chanyeol, Chanyeol could get to him.

He jumped again. He only had time to shout “Chanyeol! Chanyeol!” before he was back on the ground. Before he could try again, the soldier he’d accidentally hurt lunged at him and tried to grab him around the waist. Kyungsoo dodged out his arms and pulled a courtier between himself and the soldier. 

Heart pounding at how close that was and both frustrated and worried that he was taking too much time, he jumped and yelled, “Chanyeol, you asshole.” 

A tentative voice called, “Kyungsoo?” 

Kyungsoo cheered for getting a response. He jumped again. “Get over here.” 

His excitement was short lived. The soldier pushed a courtier into Kyungsoo, knocking him off his feet. He lost his sword and had to scramble on his hands and knees to find it under the feet of the crowd.

He popped back up and found himself facing the aggressive soldier again. The man grabbed his sword arm and dug his thumbnail into the tendons at his wrist. Kyungsoo yanked at the soldier’s arm trying to pull him off, but the soldier retaliated by digging his nail deeper. Desperate to get the soldier off of him and call for Chanyeol again, he resorted to the ultimate low blow. He kneed the man in the balls.

His face scrunched in sympathetic pain, as he stepped around the soldier. The courtier next to the soldier hurried out of Kyungsoo’s way.

In the newly open space, Kyungsoo jumped again and saw Chanyeol looking around the crowd. Kyungsoo landed and immediately jumped again. “Get your ass over here.”

“Kyungsoo? Where are you?” 

He jumped and waved his free arm. “Over here.” 

“I’m a little tied up right now,” Chanyeol shouted back.

Kyungsoo laughed as he jumped again. “Use those fighting skills from the train.” 

“Fine. I’m coming. Geez.” Even shouting, Chanyeol managed to convey fake petulance.

This time when he jumped, Kyungsoo caught a glimpse of Chanyeol kicking out in a circle and making the guards fall back into the surrounding crowd. With Chanyeol moving in his direction, Kyungsoo was determined to pick up speed. Hoping to motivate the soldiers and courtiers to move out of his way, he started waving his sword a little. And they did. They pushed and shouted at each other to get out of range. In the background, the shouting from the palace steps picked up. It ordered the courtiers to calm down and the soldiers to catch the prince and the intruder.

But the courtiers were in motion now. The crowd between Kyungsoo and Chanyeol began to thin as the courtiers pushed and forced each other out of the way. Kyungsoo jumped again and saw Chanyeol only a few meters away. There were fewer guards around him, and those remaining seemed more interested in keeping themselves from being pushed around by the crowd than in fighting Chanyeol.

One of those guards wasn’t paying attention and backed into Kyungsoo. He pushed the guard into a cluster of courtiers and then dodged out of the way to discover that the space between him and Chanyeol was empty.

The need to reach Chanyeol surged and transformed into a hyper exhilaration. Kyungsoo stomped his feet and shuffled from side to side. He couldn’t control his happiness or the wide smile that took over his face. He finished his happy dance and turned around to guard Chanyeol’s back. “It’s about time you got here,” he said over his shoulder 

In a moment, Chanyeol had crowded next to him and nudged his arm. They stood side by side but facing opposite directions. “I can’t believe you made me come to you. Aren’t you supposed to be rescuing me?” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo looked up. He could only see a small portion of Chanyeol’s face, but he was smiling, and Kyungsoo smiled back. “Before I came, you were just letting them tie you up and drag you around. You should thank me.” 

Chanyeol twisted and bopped Kyungsoo on the head with his bound arms. “I’d thank you more if you’d untied my hands. I can’t balance right. Watch this.” He tucked his arms against his chest, bent his torso to the side, and kicked out his right leg while pivoting on his left. It was a complicated kick that Chanyeol probably wouldn’t attempt in the real world. “See. If I had my hands free, that would have been awesome.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “I don’t think we can call a timeout and have everyone stop attacking us so that I can untie you. Besides you’re doing fine with them tied.”

Chanyeol bumped Kyungsoo again. “But I want you to give me your sword like on the train. I can’t use a sword with my hands tied.”

A soldier moved into the space next to them. Just as Kyungsoo started to wave his sword at him, Chanyeol moved. He kicked out and pushed the soldier’s hip with his foot, forcing him to stumble back.

“You know, as much as I enjoy all the banter,” Kyungsoo said, “we’re still surrounded by people who want to capture us. You need to decide if you want to escape or talk to your dad.”

Chanyeol didn’t hesitate. “Let’s get out of here.”

Kyungsoo shrugged. That wasn’t the right answer. Chanyeol was over-stressed and deeply unhappy from trying to maintain perfect grades with a double major he didn’t want. He really needed to talk to his dad about it. But a courtyard surrounded by men with swords wasn’t the place to debate the issue. Instead of arguing, he said, “Okay. Let’s go.”

But a minute then two and three ticked by, and Chanyeol hadn’t moved except to kick anyone who came too close.

“Chanyeol?”

“Give me a minute.” He swung his leg up and out in a roundhouse kick. When both feet were back on the ground, he said, “Let’s go.” Next, he dropped into a crouch and spun in a low sweeping kick. Then he stood and asked, “What should I do?”

For a second Kyungsoo was happy that Chanyeol had asked him for advice. But then he was overcome with a strong desire to kick him in the shin. He shook his head and said, “What the hell?” 

Being allowed to talk to Chanyeol in his dreams was great. All he wanted was to help in any way he could. But it was so frustrating to know this wouldn’t happen if they were awake. When they were awake, Chanyeol was cold and angry and would shut him down if he dared bring this subject up. He let his gaze move around the courtyard, past the crowd of courtiers, to the top of the gate leading away from the palace and this mess he was in with Chanyeol. Not caring how he sounded, he said, “Why are you asking me?” 

“Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol said softly. “You know how much I like you, don’t you?”

Reluctantly, he glanced over his shoulder. Chanyeol held up his bound arms, so Kyungsoo could see he had crossed the index finger and thumb of each hand in heart shapes. He narrowed his eyes and looked away. He hated how it took almost nothing to lose his anger and frustration. He was so easy. He looked back at Chanyeol and nodded.

Chanyeol turned and took his first step toward the palace. 

As they crossed the courtyard, Kyungsoo worried he would develop whiplash. He kept checking his feet to make sure he didn’t trip while walking backward. He moved his head from side to side to monitor the soldiers and looked back to make sure Chanyeol didn’t get too far ahead. After the slow slog through the crowd to get to Chanyeol, the battle to the palace seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Chanyeol was a machine. His sweeping kicks kept the space in front of him clear, and they moved steadily forward. 

When they broke free of the crowd and into the open space in front of the palace, Kyungsoo stood next to Chanyeol and lowered his sword. The guards on the steps faced them with their swords unsheathed and pointed at them. 

Chanyeol held out his bound hands to his father in supplication. “I just want to talk. Will you listen to me?”

The king lifted and smacked his hands down on the arms of his throne. He rose and stood before the now still and silent crowd. With his stern expression and dressed in the high black hat and ruby red gown of the Joseon king, Chanyeol’s father looked dangerous and imposing. After long minutes staring at his son, he finally nodded and said, “If you show proper respect, I will listen to what you have to say.” 

He didn’t wait for a response from Chanyeol. He turned and began to walk to the open palace doors. His advisors scurried out of his way and then reformed into two lines to follow him. They stumbled into each other when the king suddenly stopped and turned back to face Chanyeol. “I’ll listen,” he said. “I don’t promise anything else.”

Chanyeol nodded. “That’s all I ask. I just want you to hear me out.”

The king looked from Chanyeol to Kyungsoo and acknowledged him with a nod. Then he turned and entered the palace with his entourage. The guards sheathed their swords and stood at attention by the doors.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He smiled up at Chanyeol as he finally re-sheathed his sword. Without the stress of constant vigilance, he felt a little drunk on all the endorphins flowing through his body.

Chanyeol swung his rope-bound arms at him and gently knocked him in the chest. “Forget something?” he asked. A smile played at the edges of his mouth. He brought his arms up for another hit, and Kyungsoo skipped back a step. Laughing too hard to run, Chanyeol lumbered after him. They played chase with Kyungsoo waiting until Chanyeol was centimeters away before jogging backward out of the way.

Still laughing, Chanyeol collapsed onto the bottom step. “You’re the worst.” He put his palms together as though praying. “I ask so little of you.” 

Now that he faced the task of removing the ropes, Kyungsoo didn’t know how to approach it. He had Chanyeol remain sitting and hold his arms up as he tugged at the knots with his fingernails. He looked at Chanyeol apologetically. “They’re too tight. I’m going to have to cut it.” He looked down at his sword and tried to imagine cutting the rope without also slicing Chanyeol’s wrists.

Chanyeol poked his arm and then pointed when he had Kyungsoo’s attention. “Use one of those.” 

On the other side of the palace, a table was set up with trays of knives and other tools. He felt sick as he approached the table. These were the knives they would have used to cut off Chanyeol’s fingers if the dream had progressed that far. For a musician, that would be the ultimate torture, and Chanyeol had imagined his father doing that to him. He chose the first small knife he saw and hurried away, trying to keep the disgust and horror from his face. 

Chanyeol’s expression was neutral when he returned, simply holding his arms out for Kyungsoo to get to work. 

Kyungsoo wiped his hands on his vest. “Hold still. I don’t want to cut you by accident.”

Chanyeol’s stern expression was eerily similar to his father’s. He said, “I trust you.” 

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to make of that look. He focused on Chanyeol’s arms and how much pressure to put on the knife and began carefully sawing at the thick rope. His tensed and knotted shoulder muscles ached. He didn’t think he could bear it if he accidentally hurt Chanyeol. When he’d cut down to a dozen frayed strands, he dropped the knife on the step and pulled the rope apart with his hands. Servants arrived to haul away the king’s throne, and he handed the discarded rope and knife to one of them. 

When he turned back, Chanyeol wore a No. 2, and it took Kyungsoo’s breath away. He'd had a confusing, frustrating, and exhilarating day, but no emotion had been as intense as the joy he felt at this moment. 

So absorbed in watching Chanyeol smile at him, he flinched in surprise when Chanyeol’s fingertips grazed his cheek. He glanced at Chanyeol’s hand where it hung in the air almost touching him before returning his gaze to his smiling face. 

This time Chanyeol’s hand gently cupped Kyungsoo’s cheek. “How did this happen?”

Enjoying the warmth, he let himself lean a little into Chanyeol’s hand. At first, he didn’t know what Chanyeol was asking about, and then he remembered. “I fell off a roof. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Chanyeol dropped his hand first to Kyungsoo’s shoulder, then down his arm. His fingertips grazed his hand. His face grew serious again. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Everything from the adrenaline still rushing through his blood to Chanyeol’s smile and the warmth of his hand filled Kyungsoo with hope and gave him confidence at that moment. He didn’t feel as though he was deciding to do something. He was merely following through on what the moment demanded him to do. 

As naturally as exhaling after taking a deep breath in, Kyungsoo took Chanyeol’s hand in his. “You don’t have to thank me. I’ll always be here for you.” He stepped closer and slowly reached his free hand out to touch Chanyeol cheek. “You know how I feel about you.”

Chanyeol leaned back and pulled his hand out of Kyungsoo’s hold. “I don’t... Kyungsoo, I’m sorry.” Briefly, the corners of his mouth fell before being pulled into a firm line. “I don’t. I can’t.”

Kyungsoo let his hands fall and took two large steps back. He felt his eyebrows scrunch together and his mouth frown. “But you smiled at me like that. You smile at me like...” He shook his head when he couldn’t say the words. “Doesn’t that mean something?”

“I don’t smile at you like that. Or if I do, that’s not what it means.” Chanyeol's expression was frozen, but his gaze darted around Kyungsoo’s face, first looking in his eyes, then down to his lips, then back to his eyes. He leaned toward him a little. 

Kyungsoo could only stare back. Chanyeol did smile at him. But if it didn’t mean what he’d always thought it meant... If it didn’t mean... He couldn’t finish the thought. From that first moment in front of their freshman dorm, Kyungsoo had thought that smile meant one thing, that it meant _something,_ but now Chanyeol said it meant _nothing._ All the time he’d spent studying Chanyeol’s smiles and all of his interpretations of the feelings behind them-- what was any of that for if he was so wrong from the very beginning?

And Chanyeol didn’t feel _that_ for him.

One of the king’s advisors appeared next to Chanyeol and whispered in his ear.

A chill ran through his body, and his wrists and knees felt weak and sore from all of the falling, jumping, and running he’d done this night. He flexed his right hand and rolled his wrist. He doubted he’d even be able to hold a sword now. 

“Hey,’ Chanyeol said. When Kyungsoo looked at him, he added, “You’re still my best friend.”

Kyungsoo felt torn apart by his confusion, the pain of hearing that sentence from Chanyeol, and the frustrating, ever-present need to help. He said, “You should go. You still have to tell your dad about dropping your marketing major.” 

Chanyeol stood and climbed the first palace step. But then he stopped and looked back. “Aren’t you coming?”

At this Kyungsoo felt both impatience and sympathy. The hopelessness, anxiety, and pressure he felt as he tried to live up to his father’s expectations and rules had caused Chanyeol’s nightmares. He needed to learn he could confront his dad and survive. 

And based on Chanyeol’s words, Kyungsoo had his own uncomfortable facts to learn and difficult tasks to complete. “You’ve got this,” he said. He left the, “you don’t need me,” unsaid.

Chanyeol nodded once. Then he climbed the remaining steps and disappeared through the guarded doors. 

While servants carried away the table and trays of knives, the courtiers chatted and milled about. Some of the soldiers were obviously loitering, but others stood in formation ready to march off. As he crossed the courtyard and walked through the lesser palace gates, Kyungsoo tried to think about what had just happened. But his mind refused to dwell on any subject, not on smiles or interpretations or Chanyeol or the ache he felt in his heart.

At the main palace gate, he halted. Exhaustion, physical and emotional, rolled over him as he looked out at the dark city. He unbuckled his sword belt and let it and the sword fall to the ground with a clatter. He didn’t need any extra burdens weighing him down.

***

A hand on his shoulder shook Kyungsoo awake. He blinked against the harsh fluorescent lights of the basement lounge and silently cursed whoever had turned them all on. Then he sat up, and Junmyeon’s hand fell from his shoulder. He guessed Baekhyun and Jongdae, who stood to the side in their pajamas, had been pulled from their beds to act as witnesses.

In a voice a little too loud for such a late hour, Junmyeon said, “I should have known I’d find you here when you asked about moving out. I thought we’d worked out your problems two months ago when I found Chanyeol sleeping here.” 

Kyungsoo refused to look at anyone’s expression and kept his eyes trained on Junmyeon’s chin. When Junmyeon shook his head, Kyungsoo shut down the thought that it was out of disappointment. He was done guessing other people’s emotions.

Junmyeon said, “I checked with the main office as you asked. They won’t have someone available to move in with Chanyeol until next semester. If you move out before then, you’ll still be responsible for your share of the rent.” 

“What?” Baekhyun pushed past Junmyeon. “You’re planning to move out?”

Feeling groggy and cold, Kyungsoo put on his glasses and pulled on the jacket he’d been using as a blanket. He fiddled with the zipper. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Junmyeon clicked his tongue. “You’re never going to get along with people until you learn to effectively communicate your feelings and needs.” 

“Hyung,” Jongdae interrupted Junmyeon. “Thanks for finding Kyungsoo, but we’ve got it from here.”

Junmyeon glanced at Jongdae for a moment before he returned his attention to Kyungsoo. “You’ll have to go to the office to fill out the lease termination forms to start the process. I assume Chanyeol knows he’ll be getting a new roommate. Or do you need me to inform him?”

“Hyung.” Jongdae moved between Kyungsoo and Junmyeon.

Junmyeon sighed and finally walked to the door. “Good night everyone. And Kyungsoo, I’m your friend too. If you want to talk, feel free to stop by my room.” 

Kyungsoo slid across the crack in the couch cushion when Baekhyun wiggled into the narrow space between him and the arm. Baekhyun slid after him and sat close enough to press his thigh into his. Kyungsoo expected Jongdae to sit on his other side and trap him next to Baekhyun. Instead, he pulled the coffee table in front of the couch. He pushed empty food wrappers to the side and sat facing them. 

Their proximity forced Kyungsoo to admit he’d missed them in the three days he’d spent avoiding anything to do with Chanyeol. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see them. It was just that his friends traveled in a pack. There was only a slim chance of seeing one without the other plus Chanyeol. He hadn’t seen Jongin and Sehun either. They had a different schedule than the music majors, and typically he only saw them in the evening for dinner in the cafeteria with the rest of the guys. He didn’t have plans to sever ties with them completely. They were his best friends, and he didn’t want to lose them. He’d already lost so much already. He just needed some distance and some time. 

As for Chanyeol... He knew it was only a dream for Chanyeol. Maybe he didn’t even remember it. But for Kyungsoo, it made the rejection more real. The Chanyeol from two months ago might have used kinder words, tried to make the rejection easier to hear, or drawn things out by saying he’d think about it. The Chanyeol right now would probably avoid the situation entirely, give him the cold shoulder, and never condescend to give him an answer. But Dream Chanyeol had been firm and unapologetic. And it hurt. Kyungsoo was crushed to learn Chanyeol had no feelings for him and they would never be together. He’d spent the best, happiest years of his life slowly falling in love, and in one night it was all over. But it wasn’t just being told his love was one-sided. 

An actor’s job was to communicate emotion through facial expressions, gestures, and actions. He’d studied, cataloged, and interpreted only to be told he understood nothing. But even now he couldn’t skip his acting classes. They were someplace to go, a place to kill time and hide. But going to them was torture. Acting classes had been a place where he’d felt happy and successful, where he’d been told he was talented. Now he knew it was all a lie. He sat in the back of classrooms, not listening to the professors, not thinking, not being the person he’d thought he was.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Baekhyun pinching his thigh. “Why are you avoiding us?”

Kyungsoo stood abruptly. He didn’t want to tell them the truth, but there was no escaping these two. They would harass him until he gave told them what they wanted to know. He could only delay answering. He began putting his leftovers and wrappers into a plastic sack from the convenience store. 

Jongdae took the bag and set it on the floor. “We know the last month has been hard on you.”

Kyungsoo said, “You know?” That phrase pushed his buttons, and he couldn’t help but answer. “Sometimes you think you know, but then you find out you don’t. You were wrong from the very start.” He reached around Jongdae to pick up the bag. He threw the last empty yogurt bottle into it and tied the handles together.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. But if it’s about Chanyeol, what you thought you knew about him is right.”

“No, it isn’t. He told me it isn’t.” He walked across the room and threw the bag into the garbage can next to the door. “This isn’t a misunderstanding.”

“Kyungsoo...”

“It’s done. I’m done.”

“Don’t quit yet.” Baekhyun used the same sweet voice he’d use to coax Kyungsoo into forgiving him whenever he’d taken his teasing too far. “You know what Chanyeol’s going through with his dad and being forced to take those classes.”

“I know Chanyeol’s been forced to do a lot of things. But no one forced him to be an ass to me.” Kyungsoo was so tired. He closed his eyes and said the words he’d thought a dozen times. “Why are you sticking up for him? Why aren’t you telling me I deserve to be treated better than this? I’m finally done being treated like crap, and you’re telling me not to quit. Are you even my friends?” 

Out of habit, he noticed that Baekhyun’s eyelids drooped, eyebrows curved up, and lower lip jutted out in response to his words. He tore his eyes away and studied the dusty television bolted to the far wall. 

“You’re right,” Baekhyun said. “I’m sorry. We haven’t been doing a good job of taking care of you.”

Jongdae slid around the table to face him. “We just don’t want you to regret something. And we don’t want you to leave us. Are you really planning to move out of the dorm?”

“Yeah. I’ll commute from home. It’s only about an hour with the bus and subway.”

“Well, you can’t move out until next semester.” Jongdae joined him by the door and threw his arm around his neck. He dragged him in close and forced Kyungsoo’s head down against his collarbone. “We’ll have to spend every moment until then making sure our Kyungsoo feels loved.”

Kyungsoo pulled at Jongdae’s forearm, trying unsuccessfully to break free.

Baekhyun stuffed Kyungsoo’s textbooks and folders into his backpack. “Let’s get you back to your room. We wouldn’t want Junmyeon to find you here when he comes to check in fifteen minutes.

Still bent at a weird angle to accommodate Jongdae’s hold, Kyungsoo said, “You said we need to spend every moment together. Can’t I crash in your room?”

Jongdae poked his fingers into Kyungsoo’s side and made him jolt and struggle against his hold. “You know we’d love to have you, but we just don’t have the room. Besides, it won’t kill you to sleep in your own bed.”

Baekhyun threw the backpack over his shoulder and joined them at the door. “Let’s get this one to bed. It’s late, and he’s tired.” 

Kyungsoo considered himself lucky Jongdae finally released him and didn’t make him climb the four flights of stairs to his dorm room in a headlock. He hesitated in front of his dorm room, not ready to walk through the door. Eventually, Baekhyun grabbed his keys and unlocked it himself. Jongdae pushed Kyungsoo backward through the open door, and Baekhyun shoved his bag into his arms. 

“Goodnight Kyungsoo-yah. Goodnight Chanyeollie. Sleep tight,” Jongdae said, waving goodbye.

Kyungsoo shut the door in their faces.

He ignored Chanyeol as he toed off his shoes and dumped his backpack on his desk chair. He pulled out his phone and was about to walk past Chanyeol when he heard him clear his throat. He gave in and looked at him.

Chanyeol gave a brief, lopsided, totally fake smile that Kyungsoo didn’t want to notice and refused to name. “Are you okay?” Chanyeol asked.

A harsh laugh burst from Kyungsoo’s throat. He didn’t want to hurt Chanyeol, but he was exhausted and couldn’t stop himself. “You’re going to act like you care now?” He opened the clock app on his phone and started the stopwatch function. He held the screen out for Chanyeol to see. “Let’s see how long this lasts. I call two minutes. What’s your bet?”

Chanyeol’s mouth dropped open, but he didn’t say anything.

Kyungsoo stared at Chanyeol and waited for something. Anything. When he couldn’t stand the silence any longer, he turned the screen back around and hit the button to stop the clock. “Fifty-seven and a half seconds. You don’t have to be my friend or anything else, but please stop jerking me around.” 

He looked at the Marvin Gaye poster over his bed. More than anything, he wanted to tear down the dreamcatcher and throw it away. He wanted to remove any possibility he would end up in one of Chanyeol’s dreams again. But it was late. He was tired and completely unprepared for the consequences of revealing the dreamcatcher.

He said, “I was sleeping before Junmyeon kicked me out of the lounge. I’m going to bed.” He placed his glasses and phone on the window ledge and climbed under his comforter still wearing his coat. He turned on his side to face the wall, squeezed his eyes shut, and waited.

***

Kyungsoo cringed in second-hand embarrassment and kept his head down as he skirted the edge of the crowd. He would do whatever it took to prevent any of the amusement park mascots from catching his eye. The last thing he wanted was for some under-employed actor dressed as an anthropomorphic frog or bug to guilt him into taking a photo. It was too depressing to consider. Plus, it was creepy. Mostly, it was creepy. He shuddered at the thought of their frozen smiles and preternaturally large eyes.

A lion dressed in a ladybug costume stopped the family walking next to him. They lined up so a bear dressed as a scout could take their picture. The flash went off, and as the group started to break apart, everyone in the park froze for a moment. In that split second, everyone transformed from identical seven-year-old girls in denim overalls and pigtails into twenty-eight-year-old men wearing camo joggers and Lotte Giants baseball hats. The group lined up again with the lion. When they all said, “Kimchi,” the bear took another picture.

With the cell phone returned, the bear glanced at Kyungsoo. He picked up speed and swerved around family. He breathed a sigh of relief when they stopped to watch the bear mime taking a picture. He had escaped and could enjoy the rest of the park. 

The path widened around a three-story high tree decorated with pastel seashells and coral before leading to the Fun House at the center of the park. Everyone on the path except him seemed to be heading into the large, clown-themed building. The front of the building was painted in splashes of bright, primary colors. Balconies and statues of the park mascots dressed in clown costumes overlooked the path. There was no question about Kyungsoo visiting the Fun House. Everything about it caused him mime and mascot levels of discomfort. 

But there were plenty of rides to choose from. From where he stood, he saw the Viking ship rise and fall like a pendulum over the roof of the Fun House, and further down the path, the Ferris wheel turned slowly. In the end, he decided to ride the roller coaster snaking around the perimeter of the park. 

But first, he had to pass the Fun House. As soon as he neared the main door, he felt a pull to enter the building. He wasn’t suddenly interested in exploring the attraction. It was more of a physical tug in his gut. Distracted by the sensation, he kept glancing over his shoulder as he passed the front of the building. He accidentally walked into the garbage cans on the side of the path and startled the two men sorting their trash. He apologized and bowed. When he rose back up, they had transformed into seventy-six-year-old men with comb-overs and pink golf shirts. They accepted his apology and hoped he’d have a good day. When they left to join a large group at a nearby picnic table, he bowed again.

He looked up and saw the door to the Fun House in front of him. The Viking ship swung up and peeked over its roof, and down the path, the Ferris wheel turned. When he glanced back, he saw the tall, decorated tree and a stray mascot waving at the visitors walking by. The roller coaster he wanted to ride rose and dipped in the distance. 

But first, he had to pass by the Fun House. At the point where the path began to skirt the building, a group of visitors wearing cat-ear-headbands over their comb-overs surrounded him. To keep from colliding with them, he was forced to walk toward the Fun House for a few steps. As soon as they were gone and he'd changed direction away from the building, he felt that pull at his core again. His footsteps slowed. He came to a halt near the garbage cans on the edge of the path and looked back over his shoulder. Visitors leaned out of the balconies calling and waving to each other. Everyone paused, transformed into forty-three-year-old women with short bobs and floral sundresses and resumed talking and waving.

He turned around and saw the Fun House in front of him. Over the roof of the building, the Viking ship rose before dropping back out of sight. Down the path, the Ferris wheel turned, and in the distance, cars plunged down the first steep slope of the roller coaster. Groups of identical women entered the wide door of the Fun House. He wrapped his arms around his waist against another strong pull to follow them.

Of course. He was trapped in another one of Chanyeol’s dreams.

Kyungsoo was determined to never, ever, in a million years enter the Fun House. He held his stomach as he jogged past the entrance and for the first time made it beyond the garbage cans. Graffiti-style paintings of the mascots in the same bright colors as the front decorated the walls of the warehouse-sized building.

As if noticing the paintings had summoned them, a group of mascots appeared on the path in front of him. Despite how crowded the park was, there was nobody between him and the flock of sheep dressed as witches. The one with orange moons and stars covering its gown waved. He whipped his head around hoping it was waving at someone else, but he was alone on the path.

No. No. No. He was not going to let the mascots mime at him and coerce him into taking a picture or worse. He didn’t care if it was rude when he spun on his heel and walked back toward the front of the Fun House. He stopped next to the garbage cans and turned his back on the mascots and the building. With his gaze fixed on his feet, he rummaged through his pockets searching for something, lint maybe, to throw away. When he sensed the flock had passed behind him, he looked up and saw the Fun House in front of him.

He took deep calming breaths and considered trying to get past the Fun House again. But that would just delay the inevitable. The dream wasn’t going to let him go until he played along. The sooner he entered the Fun House and found Chanyeol, the sooner he could wake up and throw the dreamcatcher into a real garbage can. He joined the crowd of sixteen-year-old boys in Timberlands and Spiderman t-shirts and entered the building.

Rather than the large, bright room he'd expected, he found himself in a dark, narrow hallway lit by a few yellow, smiley face, wall lights. Caught in the flow of traffic, he was forced to keep moving when the floor tiles began to tilt, dip, or rise with each step. Chuckles and shouts now punctuated the murmur of conversation from the other visitors.

Then the hallway opened into a brighter, wider space with colorful balloon lights dangling from the ceiling. Mirrors lined the walls. Thirty-three-year-old women in navy business suits and sensible flats laughed as they watched their reflections spread, grow, and shrink in the curved and wavy mirrors. 

The doorway on the other side of the room led to a short hall that was actually a large, rolling barrel. He followed a couple of giggling women who half-walked, half-crawled through the hallway. By keeping one hand on the sliding wall for balance, he made it through without falling, but he stumbled when he missed the step down at the exit. After he recovered his footing, he looked up to see dozens of Kyungsoos looking back at him from every direction. He was wearing the black turtleneck, ripped black jeans, and leather jacket Baekhyun and Sehun had forced him to buy for last year’s Christmas party. 

Three twelve-year-old boys in baggy jeans and Air Jordans tumbled out of the barrel, and Kyungsoo realized he might not recognize Chanyeol. If he wasn’t a tall, twenty-three-year-old with dyed red hair and a hoodie frayed at the cuffs, how would he recognize him? Two more boys tripped out of the rolling hallway and joined hands. He shrugged. He wouldn’t know until he tried. He followed the couple when they turned into a doorway and entered the mirror maze.

Kyungsoo didn’t even try to solve the maze himself and merely followed the couple as they decided which turns to take. After ten minutes, he and the couple entered the large, ornate room at the center of the maze. On instinct, he hung back at the entrance and watched the couple. The fifty-four-year-old women in capris and sun visors went from holding hands to facing each other. With hands resting on hips and shoulders, they began to hum softly and sway, turning a little with each step. It was a sweet moment. One that helped Kyungsoo make up his mind.

After the couple continued into the maze, Kyungsoo sat with his back against a mirrored wall and closed his eyes. One part of him wanted to see if a person could fall asleep in a dream. The other part of him couldn't bear to look at himself or anyone else any longer. He hated everything about this dream. Yes, he hated the way he was forced into the Fun House, but more than that, he hated the way everyone was forced to be someone else. 

He kept his eyes closed even as he heard other groups enter and exit the room. Some were loud voices while others were merely shuffling footsteps passing by. A few days ago, if left to wait somewhere without a phone for distraction, he would have run through lines from whatever role he was learning. Now, he recited multiplication tables while he hoped for sleep. He was up to eleven times nine when he heard someone slide down the mirror and settle next to him. He refused to open his eyes until he felt a tap against his knee.

He looked in the mirror across the room. Though he saw a twenty-year-old woman in a blue woolen coat, he knew Chanyeol had found him. He tried to look away, but that just meant seeing them sitting together from different angles. He didn’t feel relieved to find Chanyeol. If anything, he was more anxious at having to face him again after his rejection in the palace courtyard.

He didn’t try to control his expression or the tone of his voice when he asked, “Why am I here? What do you need this time?” 

Chanyeol looked down and began playing with her coat buttons.

To keep from looking at their reflections, Kyungsoo began to pick at one of the rips across his thigh. “I don't get it. Why do you let me help you in here but not out there?” Since the last dream, Kyungsoo had been swimming in hurt, confusion, and some bitterness. But now that they were sitting together in this crazy dream, he mostly felt sad. Chanyeol was still so unhappy and still having crazy nightmares. Despite the rejection and the months of being dismissed, he still only wanted Chanyeol to feel better and not suffer. He meant it when he said, “I’ll do whatever you need tonight because I really, really want you to be happy, or at least happier. You just have to tell me what to do. But I’m getting rid of the dreamcatcher tomorrow. Hopefully, this will be the last time I show up in one of your dreams.”

Chanyeol’s fingers stilled. “Dreams? Dreamcatcher?” 

“Yeah. Dreams. Dreamcatcher.” Kyungsoo yanked hard on one of the frayed threads and tore it from both ends of the hole. He rolled it into a ball and threw it to the side. “This is another one of your messed up nightmares that we’re not allowed to talk about when we're awake. And I’m here because that stupid dreamcatcher keeps pulling me in. I was too busy avoiding you to destroy it after... after the last time.” He switched to the hole over his left knee.

“Wait. Wait.” Chanyeol’s voice was now deeper and more gravelly than the light soprano it was a moment ago. 

Kyungsoo glanced up in the mirror and saw a fifty-nine-year-old man in khakis and a white oxford shirt. He focused on the edge of the rip and attacked the weave of the cloth. He said, “Let’s figure this out. No one’s trying to torture you, I don’t see any vampires, and at least you’re dressed. So what’s the problem this time?”

“Wait. Just wait a minute.” Chanyeol knocked his head back against the mirror. “You’re telling me you’re in my dreams because of a dreamcatcher. Does that mean you’re you? You’re not an imaginary Kyungsoo but really you.”

“I’m really me.” Maybe he still felt a little bitter because he couldn’t help adding, “And now that you’re caught up, can we move this along? Since I don’t have my phone on me, I can’t set the alarm for when you’re going to start being an ass again.”

Chanyeol knocked his head against the mirror again before he dropped his chin to his chest. “I am an ass. I’ve been so awful to you.”

“Yeah. It’s great you know that, but it doesn’t change our situation now.”

Chanyeol twisted around to kneel beside him. “But you’ve got to let me tell you I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your sorry. You did me a favor. I thought I knew you and how you felt. It was good you told me I was wrong. Great even. Now I can stop being in love with someone who treats me like crap. Now I’m not studying for a career I’d fail at. I should be grateful to that fortune teller and her stupid dreamcatcher, too.”

“Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo,” a high-pitched voice said.

He looked at the four-year-old girl in pink, ruffled shorts and an embroidered shirt sitting beside him. “And can you stop doing that? Stop transforming every few minutes and stop calling me ‘Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo.’ You don’t get to do that anymore.” He studied Chanyeol’s face noticing her lower lip pushed out and downcast eyes before he realized what he was doing. But now he had a clue about the dream. “That’s it, isn’t it. We have to stop you from changing into different people. But how do we do that?” 

Chanyeol settled back against the mirror again. She ran her tiny fingers back and forth across the ruffles on the hem of her shorts. 

Irritated, Kyungsoo said, “Hey, pay attention. Let’s figure this out so we can wake up. Then I can move out, and you won’t be forced to ignore me because I won’t be there. It’s a win-win.” 

“I never... I...” Chanyeol’s little girl voice was so soft it was hard for Kyungsoo to hear. “I don’t know how to stop changing.”

Kyungsoo took that answer as a clue and began thinking out loud. “If you're not controlling the transformations, then it could be anything like magic or alien technology. For some reason, it affects you and everyone except me. And it must be coming from here because the dream forced me to come here when I didn’t want to. And you’re here too, obviously. What do you think?”

“Maybe. Sure. This must be where it’s from,” Chanyeol said softly.

“Then let's go find it. Were there clues I didn't notice in the other rooms, or do we finish the maze and find it at the end?” Chanyeol was still playing with her ruffles. “Or do we sit here forever and never wake up because you’re too busy ignoring me.” 

Chanyeol flinched and transformed into a tall man in his fifties. He wore gray, wool trousers, a blue, pinstripe shirt, and tie. Kyungsoo recognized the stern face immediately.

“I’m sorry." Chanyeol's middle-aged man voice was almost as soft as his little girl voice. "I know you don’t want my sorry’s, but I am sorry. I know I’ve been treating you like it’s your fault, but it’s not. And I can’t blame my dad, not really. I bought into his version of me and tried to make that version true. When I figured out..."

Kyungsoo stopped pulling at his jeans and waited for Chanyeol to continue. He was willing to sit in this mirror maze forever if it meant he'd finally get an explanation.

Chanyeol sighed. "When I figured it out, it made it so I couldn’t handle the rest. I didn’t want to pretend anymore to be happy with the double major and all the pressure to keep up my grades and letting everyone use me. I kept pretending with everyone else because I had to, but I couldn't pretend with you. Then the dreams started, and they were your fault too. Not really your fault. I know it’s my fault. Sorry.”

Kyungsoo looked around the room. He looked at their reflection from every angle, but he still didn't understand. “What did you figure out?”

Chanyeol waved his hand between them.

Kyungsoo took a guess. “You figured out I liked you?”

Chanyeol shook his head.

Kyungsoo opened his mouth to ask again, but Chanyeol interrupted. “Baekhyun and Jongdae called you my husband. They’d joked around before, saying we were dating and calling you my boyfriend. Then they said since we were living together, it was more like we were husbands.” 

Exasperated, Kyungsoo prompted Chanyeol. “And that made you angry.”

“No. No, it didn’t.”

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. Chanyeol’s answers were frustratingly vague. He scrambled to his feet and kicked Chanyeol on the side of his butt. He kicked him hard, but not too hard. He didn’t really want to hurt him. He kicked him just hard enough. “You asshole.” He kicked him again. “Tell me what you mean.”

As if he couldn’t hold it in any longer, Chanyeol burst out, “It means I like you, too." He took a deep breath. "But that wasn’t part of who I was supposed to be. I couldn’t like you and please my dad. Why bother trying to get A’s in marketing when he was always going to hate me for being gay? I know it’s awful. I’m awful. But every time I looked at you, I saw everything that was wrong with me. I couldn't see a way out except by not seeing you."

It had hurt every time Chanyeol ignored him or dismissed him, and hearing Chanyeol's side of the story now made everything better and worse.

Chanyeol pulled his knees up against his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "And you kept appearing in my dreams as another problem I couldn't solve. But then you showed up for my test and the vampires, and I thought maybe I could face my problems in real life. But I’d already driven you away by then. You were spending all of your time with Jongin and Sehun. I was so jealous and mad at myself.”

Kyungsoo kicked Chanyeol one last time before he collapsed back onto the floor and rested his head against the mirror. “But I confessed to you, and you...”

“In a dream. You confessed in a dream with my dad right there. And I was surprised. I’m sorry.” 

Kyungsoo nodded. He was glad to hear the apology and explanation. They helped. They didn’t change the past though, and they didn’t solve their current problem. “You haven’t transformed since you started wearing your father’s face.” His throat felt tight like it didn’t want him to ask his next question. “Is that your decision, your solution to the problem?” 

Chanyeol’s eyes met his. It was like they were back in their dorm watching his timer count the seconds. It was like the moment in front of the palace after he confessed or the time on the train waiting for the doors to open. It was any time he’d waited for Chanyeol to make a decision or show him how he felt about him. And then it hit him hard. All of those times, it was about Chanyeol looking at Kyungsoo. 

This time shouldn't be about that.

Chanyeol took a deep breath. “No. It’s not. I mean, I don’t want to be my dad. I mean...” 

Kyungsoo had to interrupt. “I don’t think you have to say it out loud or tell me. I don’t think it matters how you look to anyone else, not to me and not to your dad. Just make sure you can see you.” He looked at Chanyeol looking at himself in the mirrors. He hoped Chanyeol could see who he truly was, whoever that was. “I’m going to finish the maze, and I’ll wait for you outside. Whatever you look like, whoever you are, I’ll see you out there.” Without looking at Chanyeol or waiting for him to respond, Kyungsoo crossed the room and re-entered the maze. 

To get to the center, he’d just followed the couple in front of him, and they’d made it look easy. He wasn’t as lucky and found himself turning into dead-ends and walking into walls. But eventually, he found himself in a dark hallway lined with more yellow, smiley-face lights and a red exit sign. 

A door let him out on the side of the Fun House, almost directly across the path from the garbage cans. He sat on the edge of a planter within sight of the door but upwind of the cans. It didn’t take long to grow bored. He started reciting multiplication tables, but then he remembered. Chanyeol had lied. Kyungsoo was still confused about facial expressions and emotions and how much trust he could put on his interpretations of what he saw. But maybe he could still study acting. While he felt stupid for letting another person’s words change his own feelings and opinions, he knew it might take a while to regain his confidence. On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to run through some lines.

In the end, he missed seeing Chanyeol exit the building. He was so focused on reciting dialog that he didn't notice anything until a blue sneaker tapped the tips of his combat boots. He looked down to see two sneakers line themselves up to stand toe-to-toe with his boots. Someone was standing directly in front of him. Then the sneakers shuffled out, one on each side of his boots, and this someone was even closer, invading his space. He leaned back a little and finally looked up from the shoes past baggy jeans and a worn-out, black hoodie to Chanyeol’s face looking down at him.

It felt like forever since he’d seen that face. He let himself study all the features he’d grown to know over the years, the features he’d grown to love. The nose and cheeks were smooth, and the almond-shaped eyes were wide open. The full lips weren’t pulled back in a smile, but seeing them made him smile. Chanyeol had lost his closed-off expression, and now he looked warm and honest. Kyungsoo didn’t know what it meant. He’d have to ask. But it was still the best thing he’d seen in months.

***

Kyungsoo woke abruptly, his mind already spinning with the need to see Chanyeol and make sure he was sleeping peacefully. His eyes snapped open, but all he saw was a graying wall and the bottom edge of his Al Green poster. He tried to flip over, but there was a weight on his waist and something leaning against his back holding him in place. He wiggled, trying to get away so he could roll over. The weight became a vice, keeping him in place, and the something pressed closer to him.

Warm air tickled the back of his neck, and a voice said, “Stop moving. You’ll make me fall out of bed.”

Kyungsoo’s right hand flew up and back, flapped over his shoulder, and hit something.

“Ow. That’s my eye.” The weight lifted from his waist, grabbed his wrist, and pulled it down. 

As understanding flooded over him, the weight became an arm, Chanyeol’s arm. Large fingers, Chanyeol’s fingers, threaded through his, and Chanyeol’s chest felt warm against his back.

He felt Chanyeol’s lips move against his hair. “You don’t usually wake up so violently.”

Feeling shy, Kyungsoo said, “I was surprised. I expected you to be over there. Not here.”

“I can move.”

Kyungsoo pulled their joined hands up to his chest.

“Or not.” Chanyeol sighed. “So you bought a dreamcatcher. Did you go with your grandma?”

Kyungsoo hummed a negative. He wasn’t afraid to tell people what he thought about fortune tellers, but only Chanyeol knew about his grandma and his mother.

“I can’t believe you went to a fortune teller for me. Thank you.” Softly, sadly, Chanyeol said, “I’m sorry.”

Wanting to change the mood, Kyungsoo said, “Want to see it?” Without waiting for an answer, he threw off Chanyeol’s arm. Chanyeol grumbled and sat up. He moved out of the way so Kyungsoo could stand at the head of the bed and take down the dreamcatcher.

Chanyeol held it up by the string, poked the feather, and set it swinging back and forth under the slowly spinning hoop. “You’re not going to throw it away, are you?”

“No, I’ll give it to Grandma when I go home this weekend.” Kyungsoo laughed. "I’m not telling her it works.” He hopped off his bed and put the dreamcatcher on his desk.

He turned around to find Chanyeol under the comforter again with his back against the wall. His face was buried in the pillow, and Kyungsoo couldn’t see his expression. Hesitantly, he joined him, laid on his side, and faced him. He kept some space between them. Uncertain what to do with them, he tucked his hands under his cheek.

Eventually, Chanyeol looked up. His expression felt so warm. The way his cheeks lifted and made his eyes crinkle felt warm. His small smile felt warm. Kyungsoo pressed a fingertip against Chanyeol’s lips. Warm. He pulled his hand back under his cheek. It felt warm too, and he knew he was blushing. 

The smile stretched wide for a moment, and Kyungsoo thought Chanyeol would laugh. Instead, the smile shifted and became small again but subtly different from before. The look in his eyes went from fond to something more as he continued to look into Kyungsoo’s eyes. Then, almost shyly, he looked down, his gaze resting for a moment on Kyungsoo’s lips before settling on the space between them.

Kyungsoo’s heart beat wildly. What was that? 

Chanyeol let him know a moment later when he looked up and pressed his lips against Kyungsoo’s. As he closed his eyes and kissed back, Kyungsoo labeled and cataloged the new specimen. Chanyeol Smile No. 1: The Seductive Smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading my story! The second dream was inspired by the anime movie, _Blood: The Last Vampire, _which I totally recommend if you like vampire stories. There is also a live-action movie and television anime series. The third dream was my version of the cliche sageuk palace torture scene.__


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